


To Err is Human, Though You Aren't Human in the First Place

by Numinous_Lost



Series: A reverse AU that just won't quit [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Sex, Android Gavin Reed, Background HankCon - Freeform, Blood, Blow Jobs, Body Horror, Eye Trauma, Eyes, Gavin Reed Being an Asshole, Gavin says Fuck A LOT, Guns, Gunshot Wounds, Human Upgraded Connor | RK900, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Character Death, Near Death Experiences, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pregnancy, RK900 also being an asshole, Robot Sex, Sharing a Bed, Stigmas, Strained Relationships, Strangulation, Suicide, Therapy, Tongue Cutting, Torture, Violence, android body horror, reverse au, sex work mention, to no ones surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2019-10-02 17:42:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 51,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17268560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Numinous_Lost/pseuds/Numinous_Lost
Summary: Detective Conan Stern does his job well. Far better than most, and yet, he somehow still ends up with a partner. A disobedient partner, with a foul mouth, temper, and may just be as broken as himself. How this android made it through any form of quality assurance, he would never know.But at least it might work out in the end, if everyone plays their cards right.





	1. A Quick Step in the Right Direction

**Author's Note:**

> Just a few notes! From the myriad of names that Nines ends up with, Conan was chosen due to a very wonderful rp'er that got me into this ship in the first place. 
> 
> I know that Gavin and Hank usually end up with model names closer to their own, but I couldn't justify calling Hank a HK model, due to Carlos Ortiz's android also being a HK model and that just seemed like it wouldn't fit nicely? I dunno, I'm strange like that. They both remained in the RK series due to the fact.
> 
> This was entirely based and started off of Luscious Whiteflame's gorgeous art. Check it out if you get the chance, it is well worth it! https://lusciouswhiteflame.tumblr.com/post/180466315004/youre-not-gonna-get-away-with-it-this-time

_It’s cold this morning_  or so Conan thought to himself, as he slowly wrapped the scarf a bit tighter around his neck. He had been awoken to the sound of his phone blaring just loud enough to pull him from the wonderful bliss that was sleep. Oh, how he missed sleep sometimes, it could be so fleeting considering his current position. Today was going to be a long day.

Not that he was one to complain about something like that. Conan was proud of how far he had gotten and without the help of mother dearest, something that his brother could not claim. Making Lieutenant had been an achievement for Connor, making detective was his own sort of achievement for Conan. Considering the five year age difference, he certainly didn’t feel like he had fallen behind.

But there was another stark difference between the two of them. Connor was polite, friendly. No one could ever really say a bad word about him, expect that maybe he smiled a bit too much. Conan, on the other hand, could claim no such thing. People were afraid to approach him, between the icy glare that seemed to be perpetually on his face to his stature, which was several inches up on his already tall brother. Simply enough, Conan had his work cut out for him with making friends in the department. So he didn’t bother to try.

It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It just meant getting the detective a partner was harder than it should have been.

Connor had it easy in that realm as well. Cyberlife had provided him with the perfect one, one to help out when all of the androids started to deviate. RK800, affectionately nicknamed Hank by his overly affectionate brother, was the steady hand that was needed to counter Connor’s frank disregard for his own life. His brother had always been slightly more ‘Action first, questions later’, and it had gotten him in trouble a fair few times. Conan definitely had less scars from the job, and it had very little to do with the age difference. His brother was just an idiot. _A lovable idiot_ , he amended to himself. After the revolution, RK800 had been hired on full-time. It was enough to make him gag.

Conan had, in that aspect, simply given up on them ever finding a partner for him. The longest one that had ever lasted clocked in at a month before they simply got sick of his controlling, almost overbearing behavior. No one liked having their work triple checked, or to be constantly talked down to. Hell, he probably wouldn’t like it either, but no one _dared_ talk down to him.

But that was also how Conan found himself walking onto the scene for a murder all by his lonesome, nothing but beat cops and forensics all around him.

The victim was one of the dock workers, left on a pier with nothing more than a name tag and a uniform that wasn’t his. Unsettling, considering that the dock worker had been slashed at the throat, so wherever his clothing had wandered off to, Conan was firmly in the belief that he would find his killer as well. A simple glance at his hand showed the last vestiges of a stain of thirium, which was enough of a clue for the man to put two and two together. Clearly, they were searching for an android.

Relaying this information to the cops around him, he had them spread out and start the search. They couldn’t have gotten too far, not if it was injured. He would need to see the state of the android to further define if it had been premeditated or out of self defense, but that did involve taking it alive, something he passed onto the men around him.

Now, out of all the things that he had been expecting that night, he hadn’t been expecting a chase. It was 2 am, he was exhausted, and no where near in the mood to be booking it after a perp. On the plus side, Conan was _not_ the one currently in this chase.

But the only warning he did get was the soft _whoosh_ of someone jumping over him, followed by a more than audible. “ **Don’t move, meat sack!** ” as he felt a pair of feet land neatly on his shoulders and using him as a springboard to get over to the other storage container. It had felt more like a child than anything else, light and smooth in it’s movements. Conan whipped around in time to see the flutter of a white hoodie before it was engulfed by the side of the container, before a rather triumphant yell of success hit the air. There was the sounds of a slight struggle, and this was how the detective found himself heaving his being up the sides of a few containers to get to the top.

Glitter in slow glowing letters across his back was the model number RK900. RK900? That didn’t seem right. Hank was supposed to be the prototype, and yet… Well, to say Conan was a tad confused was an understatement. But beneath the supposed android was another, unable to struggle against the tight grip the other one had.

Conan didn’t hold back. “Do you **really** think it’s okay to _use the lead investigator as a jumping point?_ He asked, gun trained on the struggling android, as he talked to the other one sitting on top of him.

“No point in crying about it, unless you got hurt. Considering that probability was at 92% for you to remain uninjured, I would put money on saying that you’re just fine, Detective Stern.” His voice was smooth, his LED spinning a nice, comfortable yellow. “If you wanna bitch about it, go bitch to someone who gives a shit.”

Conan knew that it was going to be a **_long_ ** day.

                                                                                              --------------------------------

The two weren't reunited again for about a week. A week of questioning, of trying to get Fowler to finally let him use RK800 to probe the android. He just wanted some form of action, and the longer he had to wait, the more Conan just got frustrated. Frustrated at the lack of progress, at his own stress levels, at the absolute lack of sleep. It was getting to the point that people were giving his desk a wider berth than usual.

It didn't help when he was asked to come in early, to meet _yet another_ partner. How long would this rookie last? A week? Two? Conan was in simply no mood to be dealing with this sort of bullshit. Not after the ridiculous week that they had been having.

And yet, there he was, standing outside Fowler's office, waiting in anticipation. Once the Captain came in and let the detective through the door, Conan noticed it. The shift in position as he settled, trying not to let the younger man's piercing aura get to him.

“You haven't had the best track records with partners, much like your brother.” his boss started, hands folded together neatly in front of him. It was a tick that Conan was all to familiar with. Fowler was assuming he would take this badly. “So, also like your brother, Cyberlife has deemed it appropriate to give us the last model that they designed. It took some convincing, Markus was originally against it at first. But you will be meeting RK900 today, and I assume that you will be on your best behavior.”

He could hear it in the old man's voice, the finality of what was being offered to him. _Take it and be grateful_ went unsaid, but was right there.

“I always am, sir.” There was a part of him that wanted to press for more information, he wanted to know why Markus was so wary about letting the android free of its constraints. But he let it lie, leaving the room just as quietly as he came in.

He was pissed. Was he so incompetent that he needed a damn android to help him out now? Something so easily breakable, one of a kind. Would it be in the shape of the old man? Things got confusing enough with how similar Connor and Conan looked, the last thing they needed was two sets of twins.

What greeted him at his seat was the android from the capture. The android who used him as a springboard. An android who _had his feet up on his desk._ Without an ounce of hesitation, Conan walked over and shoved those feet off his desk and the absolute _loathing_ that seemed to come from the man was entirely unnoticed by the android.

“So we meet again, Detective Stern. Did you, by chance, miss me?” It was a smug response, no apology for putting his feet all over a particular forensic report that he had been looking over last night.

“Move from my desk, RK900.” It was an order, one that went entirely unnoticed by the android. “ _Now.”_

Conan could watch the LED flicker, yellow to red and back to yellow, which seemed peculiar in itself. RK800 was always at a steady blue, much like the other androids in the precinct. Was his partner already broken?

Actually, if that were the case, it would make sense to have them partner up. A broken person with a broken android. Fantastic. His fingers drummed on the back of the chair as his patience waned, and the Android finally took the hint.  With a gesture and a point, Conan directed the other to a desk and zoned in on his work, refusing to let his useless partner get in his way.

                                                                                                             --------------------

 

To give him credit, the RK900 was far from useless. Faster, lighter weight, and far more compact than the other models, he was actually a somewhat competent partner. Was Conan currently figuring out a way to disable his voice? _Of course not. Not at all._ Why would he do something like that? Was it because the RK900 couldn’t figure out how to **shut the fuck up**? It had been about two weeks since the model had joined them, and if Conan was being entirely objective, he didn’t mind the android. Too much.

But along those same lines, he didn’t know anything about him. He didn’t know where the android rested, what he did outside of work. But unlike past partners, _this one_ _didn’t mind_. As far as the detective could tell, at the very least.

“De~tect~ive~” It was a sing-songy voice that greeted him this morning, one that RK900 **knew** drove him insane. He had heard it only once before, but it was such a grating noise that Conan wished he could just shove his hand into that throat and…

No, he needed to calm himself down. “What can I help you with, RK900?” He asked calmly, physically refusing to let himself lunge at the offending android. If RK800 didn’t even like him, how was anyone else supposed to?

“Give me a name. RK800 has a name.”

“If you desire a name, give yourself one. I have no time for such pursuits.”

“It’s not the fucking same though! Connor gave Hank his name, give me mine.”

“Connor named Hank after the first successful capture of a deviant, and after the interrogation was _successful_. You caused our deviant to self destruct due to pressuring him. How have you earned yourself a name yet?”

The pout on the android’s face was enough to bring the smallest smirk to Conan’s lips, the slight twitch right at the corner of his mouth. It was easy to get under the android’s artificial skin, he had never met one that seemed to feel on such a human level. Even Hank didn’t function quite that accurately.

Conan hummed for a soft minute as the pissy android walked off to Tina, who, despite the short time RK900 had been here, had become close friends. If someone would have told him that his android partner would have a best friend, he would have laughed. Laughed hard and in the way that seemed to frighten people, like something had seriously gone wrong. And yet, there he was, drinking a cup of coffee that did literally nothing for the android with one of the best beat cops the DPD had.

RK900 actually acted more human than even himself did at times, it was a tad unnerving. More than a tad. Ridiculously unnerving. _Yes, that seemed far more accurate_ … Perhaps he really should play this game with him. Opening up his computer, Conan started to dive through his archived files, digging through to his first successful case. The very first one, when he was still just a cadet. Reading over the file, it was just a domestic call, bringing in a college kid who had gotten too fucked up and started a fight in a bar. But it was _perfect_ , considering the given situation. Gavin Reed, the fuck up that inspired him to continue down this path.

Conan rose quickly, pushing away from his desk and seeing so pleased with himself as he walked. Pressing a gentle hand to the lower back of the android, deep in conversation with Tina about whatever Tina had been gossiping about, the detective leaned in.

“When you’re finished here, Gavin, could you please join me at the desk? I have something pertinent to discuss with you.” He had no such thing, but those ice blue eyes flickered up to watch that led. Red, yellow, red, red, _blue_ before going back to yellow. He had yet to see it go blue, perhaps the android approved of it.

Or it was perhaps the fact that his fingers had lingered too long in the small of his back, the warmth removed as Conan straightened himself back up again. He needed to leave, Tina’s pitched up squeal of happiness was almost too much. _Why didn’t you tell me you had a_ **_name_ ** _, you should have told me that the moment it happened you ass…_ The words drifted off as he wandered back to the desk, and Conan actually felt good about this.

Just as Gavin Reed had convinced him to keep going in the academy, the RK900 Gavin will help him continue on his path through the DPD.

Hopefully, _t_ _his_ Gavin will be just as lucky for him.

Even if he was an absolute asshole.

 


	2. A Day for Coffee and Murder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick save from an annoying brother, a quick murder for what was probably an annoying human, and a lot of Gavin being a little shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the continuing line of thought that is my brain, I'm just going to encourage you to check out Luscious Whiteflame's art again, because they are the absolute inspiration for this AU.
> 
> https://lusciouswhiteflame.tumblr.com/post/181021766244/reverse-au-this-gv900-is-a-ultra-light-model-so
> 
> And thank you for hanging out with me in this endeavor!

“I don’t care if it is your desk, take your feet off of it. _Now._ ” It was a deep growl of a voice that echoed through the early hours of the precinct as Conan walked in, gently setting his jacket over the back of his chair and just staring down the disobedient android across from him. “If I have to turn in another report with your diamond printed footstep all over it again, I might just lose it.”

It was greeted with a huff and subsequent sigh from said android, two actions that he had no need to make other than finding it entertaining. Conan was convinced that anything the android could do to annoy himself, said android would find _immensely_ enjoyable. So far, the theory had been proven correct.

But it was effective, as the troublesome android straightened himself up, a slight flash of red appearing before him before the soft yellow returned once again. If an android could look like they hadn’t slept in a decade, Gavin would have had that down pat. Really, sometimes it just seemed like Gavin was someone masquerading around as an android, not one that was genuinely sent to them from Cyberlife.

Still, a comfortable silence followed it, as the precinct slowly came to life. Officers filtered in for another day of work, tired mutterings all around them. He could hear the moment that Connor stepped into the bullpen, everything just radiated with the happiness that Conan could never possess. The mere thought actually seemed to force Conan to focus in on his work, not wanting anything to do with the sunshine child today.

Did things ever work out in his way? No, Never. Connor almost bee-lined for his brother, his forearms resting comfortably on those strong shoulders. Leaning over him, the brother pushed the report out of the way, his attempt to garner just a bit of the attention that Connor always craved. The Detective…. Simply wasn’t in the mood.

“Good morning, Conan!” That radiance was almost too much, as Conan gave a feeble attempt to shrug him off. “Come with me! Coffee is calling my sweet name, and it feels like I haven’t seen you in an age.” There it was, the puppy dog eyes. The look that no one could seem to resist. Conan opened his mouth to give a feeble response, but wasn’t actually given the chance.

“I really need to get this finishe--”

“I’m _so sorry_ , Lieutenant.” A voice drawled out, dripping with the sarcasm that no one asked for. Carefully, Gavin peeled his brother’s arm off Conan’s shoulders, reaching down and grabbing onto his forearm instead. It was a small movement, a careful urging to get him to his feet. Conan complied, moving behind the almost protective android, though the confusion was there. He wasn’t sure why Gavin was getting so… Defensive? “I _just_ got a message for the Captain and it looks like we need to leave right now. But, if you’re lucky, we might bring you back a little something.”

He knew Gavin had no intention of that. Gavin had no intention of doing anything that would ever work out well for anyone that wasn’t Gavin. But there was no way to claim that he wasn’t grateful for the save.

Even though he felt like it was a lie.

“Oh.” The disappointment from Connor was almost palpable, “then dinner. Tonight. I won’t take no for an answer, Conan!” And the disappointment was gone, as his older brother waggled a finger in front of his face. “You can’t live off takeout and Chinese, and Hank is an **excellent** cook. Which you _will_ discover tonight.” The touch of the threat was there, as Connor gently placed a hand on his brother’s sleeve, tugging slightly.

“Of course, Connor. Til tonight, then.” He whispered, his arm slipping from that grasp as Gavin pulled him almost immediately from his desk. Where they were headed, Conan had no idea, but not being caught in the trap that was his brother was already relieving.  Letting out a sigh he didn’t realize he was holding, the cold December air hit him before he had even realized it. Blue eyes fluttered open, as he looked down the slushy street before them,

“How the fuck you dealt with that for your entire life, I will _never_ know.” Gavin started out, his fingers finally releasing that shirt. A hand reached up, idly running along the edge of the scar. The scar that Conan was interested in asking about, but hadn’t found the right time to do it. They were simply not that close yet. Not for personal questions. “But now we gotta find something to do for the next few hours because that was a blatant lie.”

“Legitimately, I could use a cup of coffee. If you would like to join me, you’re more than welcome.” Conan offered, the breeze brushing passed him and making a shiver run down his spine. It was December, and he had none of his outerwear. They needed to go now.. “Follow me, if you like. If not, you are more than welcome to use the time for something you would find productive.”

He should be walking back into the precinct, he should be going back to work. And yet, he was rounding around a corner instead, stepping into the warmth of a small coffee shop that Connor and himself tended to frequent. He felt the android’s presence behind him, taking in the sights and smells of the small shop with interest. Gavin really hadn’t gotten out of the DPD too much, Conan was starting to realize.

It was a quick order at the counter, something for the two of them, before thinking better of it and letting them know that he would be back for a third before they left. He might as well kiss his brother’s ass a little bit. Maybe he could actually get out of the damn dinner if he tried hard enough.Gavin was already kicked back, sitting with his feet up on a window sill instead of _on the damn ground_. Did he have a damn aversion to sitting normally?

Still, a mug was set down in front of the android. An Americano. Would he actually be able to tell the difference in quality? Conan was curious. He wanted to see just how _human_ he could be.

“I have a question for you, Gavin.” Conan said calmly, his tone missing the harsh nature that seemed to exist while he was at work. He wasn’t trying to intimidate anyone here. “Do you remain at the precinct overnight?” It was a genuine curiosity, nothing more, nothing less. The latte slowly came to his lips, waiting with more patience that Gavin really deserved at this point.

“Does it matter? It’s not like I fucking sleep anyways. I’m not a _meat sack,_ remember?” Gavin almost grunted, taking the coffee and bringing it to his lips. There was a brief moment of silence as he analyzed what was actually running along that artificial  tongue.

_Yellow, yellow,_ **_blue_ ** _, yellow…._

“I stay there overnight and continue working most of the time. It’s nice to have the quiet around me, but the other androids in stasis can be fucking freaky.” He admitted, once again idly scratching at the scar across his nose. The words rested on his tongue, curiosity almost getting the better of him.

Another question slipped out instead. “Don’t you also need to rest though?” Was he actually caring about his partner? This idiotic android? Maybe a bit.

“I’m _fine_.” It was an immediate response, and one that spoke way more than anything else could have. Conan just nodded, bringing the mug to his lips once again. The silence that fell between them couldn't exactly be called comfortable, but it was what the detective found himself used to.  It was the flickering of the LED again that caused him to glance up. “Though it looks like the lie is about to come true. I have a new address that we need to head to.”

                                                                                                 ----------------

When they arrived at the scene, it felt familiar. Much like the pier that he had met the android at, the crime scene was obvious, Tucked between some storage containers was a worker, the victim of yet another attack. Much like before, his throat had been slashed the clothing changed out. Conan found himself kneeling next to the victim once again, this time the android at his side instead.

Watching him, Conan physically cringed as he watched Gavin raise two blood covered fingers to his lips. He knew it was just to analyze it, he had seen Hank do it time and time again, but there was still something so _dirty_ about it.  Licking his lips jokingly, Gavin glanced over at him, winking slightly. “ _Delicious_.” He purred, just low enough for Conan to hear it. “Andre Belmont. Age: 29. He’s been dead less than 30 minutes, which means…” Both sets of eyes shot up, a smirk coming to Gavin’s lips.

It meant the hunt was on.

They split up, the chase had started once again. Conan found himself moving securely through the containers. Staying close to the edges, the detective found himself making sure to keep his danger levels as low as possible. Should the murderer escape, it would just mean that they would capture them another day. He only wished his android lived by the same sort of sentiment.

He heard Gavin long before he saw the other coming. The sound the hard boots runnin across one of the storage containers, Conan immediately brought the gun up, his aim clear as he saw the blur of the awkwardly dressed android.  Really, it probably would have been better if he just ran around in the bloody clothes, it wasn’t as if the murderous beings were blending well into the crowds anyways.

“Gun **down** , Stern!” Came the shout from behind him, lowering the weapon just in time to feel a hand hit his shoulder. And yet again, the detective got to feel himself being used as a springboard, watching the lightweight model land on top of the storage unit with almost too much ease. The gun came back up almost immediately after though, trained on the fleeing android as Gavin managed to latch a hand onto the murderer.

It was a quick move, a flash of blue as the two of them tumbled off the container and to the ground. He wasn’t sure who had been wounded or if there was lasting damage, but that could be corrected after. Once they were down, Conan could finally get a good look at the offending android. He rushed forward, watching Gavin grappling with the other in an attempt for control. It was the warning shot that ended up next to the android’s head that got both of their attention, the detective as calm as could be.

It was the first time that he had seen what happened. The knife must have been on top of the container still, though the deep cut resting in Gavin’s cheek spoke volumes of what happened up there. He didn’t let himself get distracted as he heard the sound of one of the other cops coming to join them. In a matter of moments, the android was cuffed and being led off.

Conan wasn’t the only person taking time to process what was happening. The LED on Gavin’s forehead was an angry red, spinning continuously as he attempted to understand. Despite the beat cops, forensics, everything around them, Conan still stepped forward. Carefully, a hand came up to gently swipe some of the thirium from his cheek, capturing the android’s attention from whatever it might have been on.

In what could only be described as a power move, Conan let his tongue swipe over the blue blood, watching those stormy eyes for a moment. He wouldn’t get any of the information from it, he wouldn’t get anything other than maybe a stomach ache later on. But the way those pupils dilated just slightly, those lips parted just enough to notice, that was enough for him.

“What the **fuck** are you _doing?_ ” The android sputtered out, quickly shoving the detective back. He looked unsettled, just for a moment, before he brought around the flicker of yellow out of that deep red once again. He was calming down. Which, of course, was Conan’s original purpose. No ulterior motives at all.

“I wanted to see if it was as delicious as you were making human blood out to be.” He said simply, wiping the rest of it off on a pant leg. Not that it mattered, it was going to disappear soon enough.

“That was a _fucking joke_.” He snapped, though there was no bite to the words. If anything, a bit of embarrassment was there instead, as he then tried to hide the wound from the other. Was he afraid that Conan would do it again?

“Well, we need to get you cleaned and patched up anyways. You and I, unfortunately, have a dinner to get to tonight.” Conan reminded him, tapping the smart watch to inform him that Connor was fully expecting the both of them in the next thirty minutes.

“Wait, _what?”_ the android spat out at him. “Like **hell.** _I’m_ going to the precinct. _I_ have reports to write. _You_ have a dinner to get to.” Each emphasis was punctuated by a jab of his finger, right into the detective’s chest. And yet, Conan seemed entirely unphased by the action.

“Wrong.” There was something unsettling about the smirk that rested on the detective’s lips. “Your lieutenant has invited you to dinner, and a senior officer is going to be there as well. As my partner, I’m afraid that you’ll be joining me tonight. Don’t worry, I hear that RK800 is an _excellent_ cook.”

“I don’t even **_eat food._ **” Gavin was trying to struggle against this, as Conan pulled out his phone, informing Connor of the situation.

 

| **Conan >>> Con**: RK900 got hit in the fight, we may be a bit late.|

| **Con >>> Conan**: Oh no!! :C is Gav going to be alright? |

| **Conan >>> Con**: He’s quite stubborn, he should be fine. |

 

“I guarantee, if it is so dissatisfying, that I will find a way to make it up to you. Now come on, it’s time to make a few friends. He’s already calling you Gav, after all.”

“ ** _Tina_** _doesn’t even call me that!”_

“I’m well aware.”

“ **_FUCK!_ **”

 


	3. Domestication will be the Death of You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Domestic life at it's finest. Aka, Gavin gets some repairs and bonding time with the family. Does he want either? That is the true question.
> 
> Also introducing Sidekick, the adorable orange tabby.

On the positive side, the wound was exceedingly superficial. Much like on a human, cutting an android on the head or face just _looked_ like more of a production than it actually was. Despite the constant fussing and threats coming from the android, he remained in the Tesla, not fighting as Conan drove them to the nearest repair shop. Cyberlife had taken the liberty of taking over multiple store fronts as mobile repair stations, littered around to help the androids who still faced harsh persecution.

Conan had not taken into account that so few had ever seen the rare RK900 model, nor had he thought of the fact that there would be.. Questions. Questions that would set Gavin off something fierce, stressing the android out all the more. Pulling up in front of the store, the android physically recoiled into the seat. There was something slightly off about the reaction, but the detective just chalked it up to his own reactions to going to the hospital. Perhaps androids could also get white coat syndrome.

Parking and powering the car down, Conan glanced at the other, pressing a hand to his shoulder. “The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you can rest up for the night.”

“Don’t you think I fucking know that?”

“Then leave the car.”

There was another huff, his arms crossed over his chest. Gavin sank down in the chair a bit further, and much to his own displeasure, continued to drop blue blood all over his car. “You can’t make me.”

“I can and I will. First off, I will not have you dying in my car due to a head wound.”

“I wouldn’t _die_. You’re so dramatic.”

“And second of all, I will not be dealing with being late to see my overly sensitive brother because my android won’t man up and go get checked out.”

Those stormy eyes locked onto his own, shocked by the statement before narrowing almost dangerously. “Like **_fuck_ ** I’m yours!” It worked though, as Gavin stubbornly swung the door open and started to stomp off towards the repair center. With a small chuckle, Conan got up to follow him inside.

Trailing behind the android, Conan followed him in to the waiting room. It wasn’t overly crowded, but the few that were in there glanced up with curiosity as they both walked in. Most of them had come on their own, first of all. And second of all, most of them knew what the RK model stood for. So seeing one in person… Well, Conan didn’t need sensors to notice the unquiet in the air. Still, all he did was place a hand on Gavin’s shoulder, as he stood at the counter to discuss with the android on the other side.

She looked sweet, smiling a lot as she registered his information. “RK900, serial number 313 248 317-87. This is the second time you have come to see us, yes?” She asked, double checking the information they had on file. She listed off an address just off of the Detroit river, and Gavin seemed to duck his head just a bit more. The LED was firing off on all cylinders, spinning rapidly in that deep red.

Conan was the one to actually speak up. “That’s not actually true anymore.” Listing off the address in downtown instead, Gavin turned quickly, as if he was ready to once again argue with him. A soft squeeze to the shoulder his hand was on was all the warning Conan gave to the android, as he continued on. Divulging some rather personal information, the android behind the computer updated the information and waved them in.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Gavin had completely averted his gaze from the human as they settled into one of the rooms. Slowly, the android taking his time as he sat down in the chair at the center of the room, his patience waning. Honestly, Conan was fascinated by everything around them, still trying to process the information that he had just been given.

“I’m well aware.”

“ _So why the fuck did you then?_ ”

“You seemed upset remembering such facts. When you inevitably get hurt again by your own reckless behavior, I would rather a more pleasant memory be waiting for you.”

“Are you really calling **yourself** pleasant?”

“Are you trying to claim that I’m not?”

Gavin opened his mouth to retort, but never got the chance. The door was flung open, and an overly bright young blonde came bouncing into the room. “Now who the _hell_ hurt my precious RK900?” She demanded, walking over to him and completely bypassing Conan in the process. He had never seen someone act so _familiar_ with Gavin.

“Stop it, Chloe, you’re embarrassing.” He muttered, turning his head to the side as she started the examination, tutting slightly at the length and depth of the cut. Conan watched in fascination as the human so easily worked with his stubborn as hell android, directing him through a series of things. Stripping him out of the hoodie, she opened up the port at the back of his neck, plugging in a few things to run a full diagnostic on him.

Gavin’s eyes closed, looking for once as if he was actually relaxing, lulling him to sleep. It was the first time he had seen the android enter stasis, and Conan found it fascinating. He looked so _innocent_ like this. Standing up, he couldn’t help but lean over her shoulder, watching the careful, precise movements of the woman before him. The tool in her hand was delicate, as it stitched together the damaged plastic. Opening up another port at his wrist, she threw an I.V. into there with enough thirium to feed an army.

And then she turned on him. Eyeing the man over carefully, it looked as if she was analyzing him, a feeling that Conan was not too familiar with. “And just who are you to RK900?” She asked, cocking an eyebrow up. “Are you the reason he’s gotten injured? The reason he hasn’t entered stasis in..” There was a slight hesitation. “ My records show that he hasn’t entered in the last 124 days, which is obviously detrimental. A normal android would have had to force quit by now, essentially.”

“He hasn’t powered down in over four months?” Conan asked, glancing down at him. Still as peaceful as ever, as if Gavin didn’t have a care in the world. “He stays at the precinct overnight. I didn’t realize that he wasn’t taking the time to power down.” Perhaps he should have been paying more attention. But, to be fair, only a month of that was his own fault. “He got injured on the job, chasing down a defunct android who had taken the life of a human. He’s my partner, and he has been since he joined the department.”

She hummed slightly, slowly tapping a pen to her lips as she eyed over the android once again. “Did you know that androids can have nightmares, detective? Particularly the RK series.” Her blue eyes turned on Conan once again. “I was the lead engineer on the RK series, so any time one of the three boys ends up in our mobile hospitals, I get called down. So to say I’m protective of them is a bit of an understatement. The fact that you got RK900 into one of these while he was still conscious is saying quite a lot about you.”

“Did you design him to be this stubborn then? RK800 is quite the gentleman in comparison. My brother seems to be the lucky one in this scenario.”

“No, he developed that personality due to some circumstances. Perhaps, in time, he will tell you about those himself. Though I’m fairly sure he would murder me on the spot if I divulged them.” There was a soft chuckle behind that, this woman had no fear of the somewhat volatile android. “Detective…”

“Stern.”

“Yes, Detective Stern. Please do me a favor, if it’s in your capabilities. He needs a proper place to rest, otherwise even small naps like these will eventually lead to a shut down. If you have the space available, please find him a place to rest. Somewhere safe, and let him have as many closures and locks as he desires. RK900 has been through some severe abuse, and some of it we just couldn’t erase.”

Conan was _so curious_. But he didn’t interrupt. He didn’t ask questions.

‘If you could do that, I think he might actually be able to repair, with time.” The doctor looked so earnest, she cared so much about him, and Conan just found himself nodding. He had an extra room in the large apartment anyways, though he had been using it as a library for the time being. If Gavin wanted it, then he was welcome to it. Though that was going to be an _awkward_ conversation,

“I’ll let him decide on that. Though, I do have one question. Not to pry too deeply, of course.”

“I suppose I can allow one.”

“Is the scar from when he deviated?”

Chloe hesitated for a moment, her fingers running  lightly over the back of her own hand. “It is, indeed. The man that gave it to him pushed far too hard. He made it so the skin wouldn’t heal properly. And now…”

“It fits him. It would be strange if he had the perfect skin of an android.”

That brought a bit of that bubbliness back to her, the smile sneaking back onto her face. “It does fit him, doesn’t it?” Her eyes wandered back over to the android as he rested. “Tell Connor and Hank hello for me.” Her hand hesitated on the door for a moment, glancing back over. “Did you ever give him a name?”

“Gavin.”

“That fits him.”

Her hand turned, and she left the two of them alone in the room.

                                                                                    ----------------

| **Con >>> Conan: **Isn’t Chloe just the sweetest person you’ve ever met? Hank goes in for diagnostics every now and then, and she is just such a chatterbug. |

| **Conan >>> Con: **She asked me to have him move into the apartment. I mean, I don’t require your old room for use. But i have no idea how to broach the subject.|

| **Con >>> Conan: **I still can’t believe that he hasn’t slept for four months!|

| **Conan >>> Con: **It makes a lot of sense, in all honesty. Maybe it’s why he’s such a little bitch.|

| **Con >>> Conan: **CONAN!! Don’t be rude!|

| **Conan >>> Con: **Sorry. We should be there in about a half hour. Hopefully Hank doesn’t mind too much.|

| **Con >>> Conan: **Don’t worry, we both understand!! I think Sumo is the most excited though|

All right, maybe he did miss their old dog. It would be nice to see the massive pup again.

| **Conan >>> Con: **To be fair, I’m pretty excited to see him too.|

                                                                                   ---------------

Conan had been keeping himself occupied, an eye on his watch as he waited for the time to go by. The magazines could only entertain him for so long, and without one of his tablets, he couldn’t finish up some of the work. So he was actually fairly pleased when he saw the android start to sit up, taking the time to clip off and unhook everything from himself. Clearly, it was not the first time.

He yawned, a move that both of them knew was unnecessary, and stretched out as if he had just had the most refreshing nap. Gavin sat up, moving over to a mirror to check on the work that Chloe had done. Humming with approval, his fingers tapped lightly against the scar, as if to make sure it was really there. The divot in the artificial skin made him smile, before finally turning back to the detective.

“And here I thought that you would have left me here all on my lonesome.”

“And gone to Connor’s without you? I would never deprive you of such a thing.”

“ **_Fuck._ ** Are we still going to that?”

“And here I’m assuming your nap would get you off scot free from it. Well, unfortunately, I am the bearer of bad news, and we have exactly fourteen minutes to get there.”

That only cued some grumbling from the unit, as he slid the jacket back over his shoulders. He did look slightly refreshed, at the very least. And Chloe hadn’t done or said anything weird, it seemed like. Conan seemed just like his normal self, though his stress level seemed slightly elevated. Perhaps to do with his brother?

They left in silence, once again drawing the attention of the remaining androids as they left. Gavin didn’t say anything as he slid into the car, swinging his feet onto the console and slinking into the chair once again.

For once, Conan let it slide. He waited until they were out on the road, heading towards the overly extravagant house Amanda had gotten for the both of them. It was a shame that Conan was too stubborn to live there, it really was a gorgeous place. But Connor loved it, Hank had his own room that he was fairly sure went unused, and hell, he was pretty sure Sumo had his own room at this point.

“Chloe asked me to do something for you.” Conan said, in almost a conversational manner. Well, he was trying, at least. “Should you want it, there is an extra room in my apartment. You wouldn’t have to lie about your location anymore, if you decide to take it.”

“ **_Fuck_ ** _that._ ”

“She’s worried about you.”

“ _Fuck her_.”

“Gavin, you haven’t slept in over four months.”

“ **Fuck you too then.** ”

Conan sighed slightly, glancing over at the obstinate android seated next to him. The hoodie was zipped up, in a failing attempt to cover at least some of his face, arms still crossed as he stared determinedly at his knees. He looked like a pouting teenager more than an advanced prototype of a slightly homicidal machine. Honestly, Conan couldn’t help but chuckle slightly.

“I don’t think either of us would like that.”

“ **YOU KNOW I DIDN’T MEAN IT LIKE THAT.”**

“Seriously, consider it. I can guarantee your safety there just as well as staying in the precinct can. Consider it a trial, and if you hate it, you can go right back to never sleeping at the desk.” That smirk was still there, and at this point, he could feel those eyes on him. “Consider it a favor to me. I have a very large apartment, and I could use some company.”

Gavin sat up, finally, his feet on the ground as Conan spotted those _damn footprints_ there again. This android would never learn. His arms still crossed, he glanced over at the detective, taking in his form, the confidence that resided there. With an almost desperate sigh, Gavin rolled his eyes in the most dramatic way he could. ‘I suppose I can give it a try. But on one condition.”

Conan glanced at him, and Gavin immediately looked away, out the window.

“There’s a kitten that was abandoned outside the DPD, and I might have been taking care of it. If I’m going anywhere, Sidekick is going with me.”

“You named the kitten Sidekick?”

“ **_Shut up already!_ **”

                                                                                           -------------

Connor was waiting in anticipation to see the sleek red car appear at his doorstep.With the brightest smile on his face, he couldn’t help but call out to them. “You are five minutes late, Conan!” There was nothing but happiness on his face though,  a hand on the collar of a large Saint Bernard. Gavin followed suit, eyeing the dog for just a moment.

“I should have warned you, I suppose.” Conan muttered, pushing open the fence and holding it there. Gavin walked through, albeit a bit cautiously,  It wasn’t cautious enough, as the dog broke free and started towards him at full gallop. Conan laughed as his partner was barreled over, the dog proceeding to lick every available area that he could find. Carefully, he grabbed onto the collar and heaved the beast off, before holding out his other hand to the poor android on the ground.

Gavin took it, the blue flush highlighting the scar in the dim light of the twilight around them Bringing him back to his feet, Sumo sat down, waiting and expecting his regular pets.

“You guys entirely did that on purpose!” He whined, and yet a free hand still slid town to pet the dog in question. No one could resist Sumo, that much was sure. Conan let go of the collar after a moment, knowing that Sumo would behave now. He had lived with the dog long enough to learn all of his behaviors. Really, in his older age, he just seemed to get far more spoiled.

“Yeah, what’s it to ya?” Hank finally appeared, spatula in hand, just to see what all the commotion was. Chuckling, he beckoned both of them in. “Come in before Connor gets any more anxious.”

Conan was chucking as he grabbed onto Gavin’s shoulder once again, leading the other inside the house. Tonight might just turn out to be a better night than he expected.

                                                                                              -----------

“So we’re chasing after the guy and I see Conan slip, right? And it’s either like, make sure he didn’t get fucked up or keep chasing this guy. And out of nowhere I just hear this fuck over here shout ‘Why the hell aren’t you moving already?’ and so I just start racing after him right? Lo and behold it’s some android that was robbing jewelry stores for a while now and let me tell you, slapping cuffs on him just _felt_ like a damn victory.” To say the night had been lively would be an understatement. With Hank and Gavin both not needing to eat, the two of them had just been swapping stories throughout the night.

“So that’s how you ended up with the bandage on your head! I was wondering.” Connor chirruped in, his fingers sliding lightly along the back of Hank’s hand before curling into it. The other one was wrapped right around a wine glass, his third one of the night.

Not that Conan was doing any better. Matching his brother glass for glass, he could feel the wine hitting him in the best way. It was a good thing android’s couldn’t drink, because he was going to need Gavin’s help… Regrettably. “I would have told you, but you worry incessantly about me anyways.”

“Maybe because you never tell me anything anymore.” There was the pout, the casual side eye of guilting him into things.

“Well, you do seem a bit distracted these days.” Letting his eyes drop immediately to those hands, Conan found himself leaning forward and resting his chin on his own. “I wouldn’t want to distract you with anything else.” He hummed slightly, swirling the glass in his hand idly.

“You know that’s not true!” The whining had started, as Hank chuckled, clearing the table between the two of them.

“Mmmmm, brother, it is entirely true. “

“No!”

“Absolutely.”

“No way!”

“Absolutely yes way.”

“You’re just jealous! You haven’t been laid in _years_.”

Conan stopped for a moment, looking mildly shocked at the response. Connor’s hands shot up, covering his mouth for a moment before looking sheepishly at his brother.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.” He muttered, before a bark of a laugh echoed through the room. Both of the androids had turned around to watch the small argument, and to have such a conclusion to it.. Well…

“You might not have meant it, but it is entirely true.’ Conan sat back, averting his gaze entirely. He went back to staring at the glass, finishing off his fourth one before bothering to look back at Connor once again.  Connor was flushed, from a combination of wine and embarrassment.

A soft cough echoed into the room. “On that note, you two should be heading home anyways, right? You’re leading the interrogation tomorrow, yeah?” Hank asked, patting Gavin on the back. The smaller android visibly cringed. “Try not to kill’em this time.” Gavin smacked the hand off, huffing as he did so.

“Yeah yeah, get off me, you big oaf.” Gavin muttered, wandering over to the detective to help him out of the chair.

Connor was on his feet in an instant, even if he was a bit wobbly. Walking around the table, he nudged Gavin to the side and wrapped his arms around his brother. Conan returned the hug, though admittedly not with the force that he had been presented with. It only lasted for a moment, with a few pets to Sumo as well before Gavin was ushering him right out the door.

“Make sure he gets home okay!” Connor said, a drunken warning to the small android. Gavin had already grabbed the keys from Conan’s pocket, not that the detective was going to fight him on it. “Text me the moment you get there! You know his address right? Do you need anything els--” Hank reached over, gently covering Connor’s mouth to get him to stop for just a brief moment.

“They have it all right. Let them get home.” He muttered, the other arm sliding comfortably around that smaller waist. That earned Hank a small nod of approval from Gavin.

He managed to get the detective safely to his car, before dumping him rather unceremoniously into the back seat. Conan groaned softly, hearing his car roar to life. The soft chuckle that he heard afterwards was enough to picture the absolute grin on the android’s face. He just turned over, burying his face into the seat, mostly out of embarrassment. That was not a conversation that he had been planning to have any time soon. _Fucking Connor…_ He couldn’t help but think, watching the android as he drive.

“Gotta go pick up Sidekick, and then we’ll head home. Sound good, detective?”

“Yeah, that sounds pretty damn good right now, Gav..” He whispered, closing his eyes and resting back.

“Should we pick you up a hooker as well?”

Conan slammed a hand on the back of the chair, shaking Gavin just slightly and earning a laugh. “Shut up, you plastic prick.” He whispered.

“We could grab you one of those too?”

“ _Fuck_ you.”

“I’m good, detective, but thanks for the offer.”

Conan groaned and turned over, letting the smooth driving lull him to sleep. He wouldn’t wake up until the next morning, in his own bed with a small orange tabby on his chest. His head pounding, his eyes glanced over, and watched the android sitting in the chair. Flicking through a book, he glanced up and grinned.

“Meds and water next to you. But don’t disturb Sidekick, she’s had a long night.”

“She’s not the only one in this house that has.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit, you slept like a baby.”

“Fuck you, Gavin.”

“And good morning to you too, Conan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for sticking through this with me!! This chapter ended up way longer than expected, and I'm oddly okay with that.


	4. Emotions Aren't Needed, so Why Are They Required?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Running across some information that should have remained in the past, the two get closer and closer to to a decent break in the case. And possibly to each other as well. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LOOK HERE!! This chapter does contain suicide and abuse. I love you all, and if you cannot handle that then please do what is best for yourself! I love you all and want only the best for you!
> 
> If you do continue through, then this is the current reference for this chapter!  
> https://lusciouswhiteflame.tumblr.com/post/181445277644/shhhht-shhhhht-its-okits-ok-reverse-au-what
> 
> I've wanted to write something based off this picture for a while, I love it so very much.  
> As always, please support the artist if you can! They're amazing and wonderful, and their twitter is fantastic to follow.

Were they prepared for an interrogation? Not particularly. Was this going to stop either of them? Well, not for the moment, but Conan did find himself slightly hesitant about leaving Gavin alone with the suspect. Considering the last one had been so stressed out by his careless, idiotic partner to bring on it’s own death, he felt as if the worry was justified.

Still, he sat behind the glass, watching Gavin spin the chair around and sit in it backwards. Letting out a very real sigh, the detective had to admit that it was starting to become endearing. Annoying as hell, unprofessional, and distinctly _Gavin_.  A small part of him admired how confident he could be in  himself. The majority of him just found it annoying, however.

Pulling the file towards himself, the android hmmed and hawed over it for a few moments, before finally looking the other android right in the eyes. There was barely recognition, much less fear, that resided there. His brow furrowed slightly, the scar wrinkling just a bit. “GJ500, serial number 251 848 175, is that correct?”

There was no response, just that same dead look in it’s eyes.

Gavin leaned forward slightly, snapping his fingers right in front of the other android’s face. “ _Helloooo_?” He called out, the tone of his voice not hiding his annoyance. “Is anything alive in there? I mean… Well, you know what I mean.” He sat back, a small chuckle coming out at his own stupid joke. “Listen, we can get this the easy way, or I’m going into that brain of yours and neither of us will be happy about it.”

A small smirk pulled at the lips of the android, the first flash of life appearing in them. “You’ll have to probe my memory then. I won’t tell you _anything_.” He whispered it, actually extending a hand out to Gavin.

It had actually been a bluff, one that Gavin wasn’t supposed to act on. Conan had told him not to, considering they had no idea how the virus was transferred, or if it remained active inside the android once they were captured. The detective had been trying to protect his reckless android, which was why he was already on his feet.

Why did he have to end up with potentially the stupidest android on the planet?

His hand was already pulling the gun out of it’s holster as he slammed a hand against the panel, knowing what the idiot was doing. There was no question in his mind that instead of any form of pre-construction, Gavin was already extending that hand towards him.

Which he was. Gavin had just placed a hand into that grasp as the door slammed open. The other android clenched onto it, the skin receding from the two of them as that smirk only seemed to grow. Their master wanted RK900 to return home, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

There was no hesitation as Conan shot, the bullet going right into the shoulder of the other android. One of the few things the man had going for him was a deadly amount of accuracy, especially from an immobile victim.

“What the _fuck_ Conan?!” Came the inconsiderate shout of his android, wrenching his hand free from the now limp grasp. A few officers rushed in at the sound, watching the android that was now liberally losing blood.

“Are you a goddamn idiot or is your fucking processor on the fritz?”  
“How else was I _supposed_ to get it out of him?”  
“So you’re an idiot then!”  
“I have protections against viruses!”

The cuffed android was laughing, listening to the two of them. “RK900.” It managed to gargle out, the voice sounding more and more robotic as the officers failed to stem the bleeding. “Don’t you think that _he_ knows about your protections?”

Gavin snapped his head to look at the other, grey eyes narrowing once again. His hands slammed down on the table, curling slightly into themselves right after. “ _Don’t you fucking talk about him. You know_ **_nothing_ ** _about him!”_  Maybe it was just to Conan, but something seemed… Off about the statement.

“Who do you think is watching you right now, RK900?. Who do you think my last contact is going to be with?” The voice was slowing down as the head started to droop, but the talking continued. The android was nothing more than a mouthpiece for it’s would-be master, having one last go at the unnerved android.  It was more unsettling as the robotic voice stopped, and just the sound of a recording could be heard instead.

It was a piercing scream that entered the room, and a single desperate plea. “ _Not fucking again, sir!”_  It was the first time that Conan had heard Gavin say sir, and it had definitely not come from his own lips. But he watched as the android stiffened slightly, and Conan saw fear in those eyes. An actual fear. Something that hadn’t been explained to him yet, but he had an idea though maybe just a hint of what it was.

Without saying a word, the overly emotional android took off and out of the room. The other one slumped forward, his time having run out. Taking a moment to glance between the two, Conan immediately barked an order at the officers. “Clean it up and get it to Cyberlife for analysis. And make it _fast_.” He snapped, before finally taking off after the other android.

                                                                                                -------

Gavin was good at making sure he wasn’t seen if he didn’t want to be. There were some perks to being a lightweight model, notably the ability to get very high, very fast. Even when he was trembling somewhat uncontrollably. He could just power down, and not have to _feel_ anything for a while. But entering stasis was it’s own game of chance. And he wasn’t willing to take that chance right now.

He watched as Conan curved into the alleyway, eyes scanning around for a moment. He hadn’t yet attempted any form of tracker, the usual conclusion for an android… Even if they didn’t work properly anymore. Maybe he knew that. Gavin couldn’t bring himself to care anymore, his arms curling around his knees as he watched Tina join him as well. _Why do they care?_ He thought, watching as the stress levels ticked a bit higher, a panic starting to set in with both of them. Tina was obvious, Conan less so.

“Gavin?” Tina called out, the first to use his name in the search. “Gavin, I know you’re scared, but I have you! You know that!”

_He didn’t know anything right now._

No, he just curled tighter onto the edge of the roof, burying his face into his knees instead and trying to block out the world.

It was the act of curling tighter into himself that knocked something loose, a small chunk of mortar that slipped off and hit the ground beside Conan. It was to Tina’s surprise to watch the detective heave himself up and onto a closed dumpster, reaching for the fire escape that was close by it.

Despite his attempts to be quiet about it, he was not. Conan was not light, the lean muscle often working against him and his attempts at stealth. Still, he didn’t see Gavin get up to move as he stood behind the other, bracing more for the idiot to take a running leap off the building as he spoke.

“Sneaky hiding spot, Gav.” He said simply, not reaching out to touch him. Not yet. It was when he saw those shoulders tremble that he knelt down, the movement careful, calculated. Gently as he could manage, both arms wrapped around those small shoulders, and he pulled the android back, away from the ledge.

“Let go.”

“No.”  
“I _said_ let go.”

“And I told you no. For once, perhaps you can trust me on this.” Two sets of hands were clenched into the soft fabric of that hoodie, as Conan continued to hold onto him. “You don’t have to talk, and I won’t ask anything. Just please, don’t run away again.”

There was no immediate response from the android, but he didn’t pull away anymore. He only shifted, both Conan and Gavin falling back slightly and just resting there. Neither moved, neither said anything for over an hour. It was just a silent ,slowly evolving into a peaceful moment between the two of them. And both of them needed it, honestly. Just a little bit of peace before the storm.

                                                                                                -------

Tina was the first one to drag Gavin off, demanding coffee and alone time for the two of them. Conan didn’t mind, he had a lot of paperwork to do, due to his own mistake. Well, now the two were one-for-one for taking out suspects, it seemed. Perhaps they could keep the next one alive, with any luck. Because, with this sort of person, there _was_ going to be a next one.

Glancing over, he watched Hank and Connor interacting for a moment, that infectious laughter of his brother sliding right into his ears. They were so happy… And things just seemed so easy. Pushing back in the chair, Conan couldn’t stop himself as he crossed over to his brother. Tapping him on the shoulder lightly, it was all that was needed for the other to understand. Connor would often join him on smoke breaks, it was one of the few times that they could really be alone.

Smacking the pack of cigarettes against his palm, Conan slowly brought one to his lips before lighting it and sighing. The smoke was settling, and, as much as he wanted to deny it, so was the presence of his brother.

“Is he okay?” Connor was never one for subtlety, believing that if he was straightforward, he would get a better answer. Particularly with Conan, he was right.

“No.”

“Are you okay?”

A stream of smoke slipped from his lips as he thought over the answer, before finally shaking his head. “I don’t think I am. It’s still to be determined though.” He muttered, flicking the ashes to the ground. He was going to need more than one at this rate.

“I knew that they had mentioned that he had a… Ahh, checkered past, but isn’t this good information? Gav knows who the killer is then! You just have to prove it!”

“Easier said than done.” One down, he plucked out another one and started to light it up again. “It might just be a ruse, first of all. Second, I don’t think Gavin knows how the mysterious ‘him’ is. It was such a quick response, too defensive, more like it was built into his programming. Plus Chloe said that she wiped all that information from him.” His fingers curled lightly around the pack, threatening to crush them. “I can try to contact Chloe, see if there’s any information that she might actually have. If the person that deviated RK900 and this mysterious deliverer of the virus are in fact the same person, we might have to turn the case over to you and Hank. There’s too much of a personal connection otherwise.”

Connor hummed slightly, nodding. “Well, at the very least, I’m pretty sure the captain is going to have us take the next interrogation. Considering now _both_ of you have killed a suspect.”

“Shut up.”

“Of course, brother.”  
“Did you know that androids can have nightmares?”

“Hank has them on occasion actually.” Connor said, humming slightly as he thought about it. He tapped a finger against the other’s shoulder lightly. “If Gav is having them, I can have Hank talk to him about them.”

“I think that would go over about as well as  a brick to the head.”

“You might be right on that.” He said softly, bumping his shoulder against his taller brother instead. Small acts of affection were definitely Connor’s thing.  “It’ll all work out, in the end though. You’re too good of a detective for it not to.”

Putting out the second cigarette on the bottom of his shoe, Conan nodded. “I suppose you’re right. I just wish we had more clues on what was happened. I need to go talk to Chloe though, it seems.” Connor nodded, following his brother in as he started to talk about the case he had currently, and how well it was going. _Of course it was…_

                                                                                                -------

“It’s wonderful to hear from you, detective!” The cheerful voice said as he finally got connected through. Conan was still a bit hesitant, unsure of what the next action should actually be.

“Good evening, Chloe. I was wondering if I could ask you a few things? Or, all the better, if you could come down to the precinct. I just need some more information on the person that damaged RK900.”

A sigh followed that.” I wish I could tell you. We weren’t able to get the information out of Gavin before he was reset. When we finally got him back, he couldn’t even be awoken for longer than a minute at a time or so. It was thanks to myself and Markus that he was even pulled back together at all.”

Another dead end. Always another dead end.

“That’s all I can ask for then. Thank you, Chloe. If you come across any information, would you mind letting me know?”

“Of course, detective!” She passed off her phone number to him as well, and he could hear the smirk on her lips. “Text me and keep me informed on how he’s doing, all right?”

“Of course, Chloe. Until next time, then.”

Hanging up the phone, Conan just let his head drop into his hands, an unsettling groan slipping from his lips. All they could do now is wait for Cyberlife to get back to them, whenever the hell they decided to do that. Or until another body appeared. A hand patted his back somewhat sympathetically as it passed by, watching the white hoodie pass by him. The hand belonged to Tina, the smile that he was given more caring than he deserved. Gavin settled himself down into the seat across from him, the led still firmly red at the moment. He was still trying to process everything, and it clearly wasn’t going well, Conan couldn’t help but note.

                                                                                               -------

Gavin actually made his way to the kitchen after they arrived back at the apartment, Conan watching him with curiosity. Well, it wasn’t his issue. As he walked back to his room, he could hear the android cooing slightly and calling out for the kitten as some food hit the bottom of a bowl. That made sense, at least. Gavin really did love that damn cat.

Conan was rather fond of the creature too, honestly.  It made the admittedly sterile apartment seem a bit more alive, unlike the plant that he was absolutely terrible at taking care of. He hadn’t told Connor that he had killed it yet, he didn’t see the point in disappointing his brother.

Still, Conan settled in for the night, moving to go shower and settle. It was easy this way, simple. And nice to hear movement more than his own, through the place. As he came out of the shower there was a towel resting across his shoulders and his bottom half clad in lounge pants, he smelled something that was distinctly not cat food. Turning around the corner, Gavin let out a noise of discomfort, almost immediately turning away.

“Can you _not_ walk around the house half naked?”  
“I would be walking around entirely naked if it wasn’t for your presence. Would you prefer I return to that?”  
“ _Fuck no!_ ”  
“Then be glad I put on anything. What are you doing?”

Gavin looked back at him, a somewhat proud smirk on his lips. “Hank told me last night that you eat like shit and often forget to eat at all. So I thought I might try and make sure you at least eat something.”

Conan cocked an eyebrow up as he walked forward, looking over the other’s shoulder. In all honesty, it looked better than Conan ever could have cooked for himself. No where near what Hank had made last night, but it wasn’t completely burned at least.

“I know I’m not like, a _cook_ or anything. I’m not programmed to be.” Conan noted the slight tone of embarrassment. “I just don’t want you dropping dead, all right?”

“Well, if that’s the case, and you’re going to be making me eat, then I think it’s only fair that I make you sleep then. If we both have to suffer with something that seems pointless, then at least we’re on equal ground.”

"Food isn’t pointless!”  
“Neither is you entering stasis.”  
“I’m _fine_.”  
“Then so am I.”

Gavin groaned, slapping the spatula down on the counter. “Fine! Fine! If you eat at least two meals a day, then I’ll enter stasis for 2 hours a night. _Just_  two. Nothing more.”

Conan hummed slightly, nodding at that. “Fair enough.”

“ **_And you better wear a goddamn shirt when we’re here._ **”

“That one, I can’t guarantee.”

                                                                                               -------

It would be weeks before a new victim came on for the case. Weeks of Gavin finally resting, of getting his cunning and strength about him once again. Weeks of almost playful banter between the two of them. Weeks of people actually coming up to Conan for casual conversations. Not often, but on the rare occasion. And mostly Tina.

And all that growth was almost thrown out the window with a few mere moments.

When the call came in from one of the clubs around town that a working model had trapped one of her clients in the room, after another android had barely escaped, they had been the one to make the call. The soft sobs of the human inside were all that could be heard to begin with as Conan approached. In the end, he made a damn good negotiator, more so than even Hank. His track record was spotless, and something he distinctly prided himself in.

Knocking on the door lightly, he waited for a moment, hoping that the android would actually open it and they wouldn’t have to force their way in. “Please let me in, Meredith. I would love to have a conversation with you.”

A pause, just a beat long, greeted him as he waited. The door clicked open on the somewhat desperate scene, the android holding the man in a headlock as she stood on the bed. “I was hoping they would send you, Detective. Is your companion not here today?”

“Unfortunately, RK900 won’t be joining us tonight.” He was right outside the door, fuming that he wasn’t in there. Gavin was more than ready to help, if he just could. “But that doesn’t mean that we can’t have a pleasant discussion. Tell me, what do you desire in exchange for that man?”

“Something that you can’t give us. Unless you know how to eradicate an entire species?” She smiled in a way that was not only unearthly, but shouldn’t have been possible. It was as if her skin actually peeled back to reveal each and every one of those teeth that were normally hidden, the look in her eyes even more soulless than they were. It was as if she was proving just how inhuman the androids could actually become.

“Unfortunately, I can’t guarantee that. But do you really think taking this life will actually help you attain your goal? The room is surrounded, you won’t be making it out of here, Meredith. But if you hand over the man, I can guarantee that you will be let out unharmed.”

“That creates an issue, Conan. I had no intentions of leaving this room alive. I’m not the only one working for our master, so perhaps you’ll have better luck next time.” She almost purred the words, running long fingers over his neck before that mechanical jaw bit into the soft flesh below it. She ripped back, tearing the skin and muscle away before spitting it onto the ground. Before Conan even hand a chance to call out, barely taking a step forward, he was hit full on in the face by thirium. The sharp blade that had once threatened to pierce through the man’s neck slid across her own instead.

Conan finally managed to shout, just a rather noncommittal noise coming from his throat. It was a signal to get the officers in, though Gavin was through that door first. Getting hit himself with a bit of the thirium, he stopped and stared at the scene in front of him. Opening his mouth, whether it be to wisecrack or not, he shut it almost immediately from the look on Conan’s face.

Conan had _failed._ Not even failed, his inaction had caused the death of two innocent… Well, innocent-ish people. Paramedics rushed in, separating between human and android as one of the officers pushed both Conan and Gavin out of the room. They needed space to work. Anyone who was barking orders at him, Conan couldn’t even hear it, he could barely function. One singular thought settled in his mind.

A smoke. He needed a smoke. Right now.

Covered in thirium which mixed slowly with the human’s blood as well, Conan turned heel and left. He had seen death before. He had dealt with death before. He had talked people out of suicide, he had saved lives. But the blatant disregard for the end of both of their lives had unnerved the detective.

Stumbling onto the steps, Conan settled down, shaking hands reaching toward one of his pockets to pull out one of the cigarettes. His hands trembled as he tried to get the lighter lit, just trying to concentrate long enough to get it going. It wasn’t until he felt another hand envelop his own, steadying his, that he almost lost it.

Gavin wrapped one arm tightly around those shoulders, pulling the detective back. Closer than before. Holding him in the same way that Conan had held Gavin all those weeks ago. Conan didn’t fight it, however, letting the now lit cigarette just burn. Dropping the lighter, he let the cigarette fall from his mouth and hit the ground below them as his hand came up, wiping lightly under one of his own eyes. _When had he started crying?_

Gavin didn’t say anything, just holding the human to himself. He let Conan cry, he let the human slowly process though this. Synthetic fingers slowly stroked over the back of his detective’s hand, before the fingers finally curled between Conan’s own.

“You don’t gotta talk, or say anything. We don’t have to know what happened.” Gavin said finally, holding onto the hand tightly. “I just want you to know that I’m here for you.”

 Conan nodded, and he still didn’t say anything.

 There was nothing to be said in the moment, it was just something for them to share together.

 Tonight wasn’t a night to be alone.


	5. Less of a Domestic Model, More of a Disaster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strained family relationships, fighting, terrible coping mechanisms, therapy and one heck of a cute kitten. What more could someone ask for?

Never in his life had he been put on leave. Conan Stern was a man who showed up for work, did his job as perfectly as he could, and very rarely carried the baggage home with him. He didn’t hold onto emotions like this so strongly, the feeling of absolute failure trapped in his mind as it was unwilling to let go of it. 

He was on day three of being trapped in the confines of his apartment, Sidekick curled up in his lap as he absentmindedly ran his fingers through that soft fur. Occasionally, she would let out the softest  _ mew _ , or try to lick his fingers, but that was it, that was all that they did together. For three days, he had stayed like this.

It was enough to make the android actually worry.

Not that Gavin was helping, per say. He went in whenever he felt like it, he was the one that finished up the reports on the incident. He was the one keeping Connor and Fowler informed on Conan’s condition, and how it seemed to slowly be worsening. Gavin was the only one allowed in the apartment other than Conan himself, anyone else was just greeted with a deadpanned “Leave.” No other words, no warnings, nothing. It was Fowler who brought up the idea of a counselor, again.

“I mean, I already suggested that, because it’s the most common solution to work related trauma. It only hold a 70% success rate though, so it’s sorta fucked either way.”

“Language, RK900. Suggest it again. And if he declines another time, inform him that it’s no longer a suggestion.” The captain sighed slightly, pinching the bridge of his nose in thought.

“So when he breaks off my arm for suggesting it, you’re going to pay for my repairs, right?”

“Out. Go tell him, and keep me informed. Bring my detective back to me in one piece.”

There was no more of the conversation to be had, and Gavin took his leave with ease. His eyes glanced over to Connor, wondering just how easily he could manipulate the other brother into helping him out. Connor had ways of winning people over, even his own stubborn family. Fowler sent him the information of the psychiatrist he recommended, as Gavin rounded the corner of the elder brother’s desk.

“ _ Connnnnor~ _ ” He sang out, the gruff voice not designed at all for singing. Sitting himself down on the desk, right on top of the report that the lieutenant had been working on, he smiled. Hank just glared from the other side.

“Fowler wants Conan to talk to a therapist.Think you can help me convince him?” He asked, a foot coming to rest on the seat as he urged the chair to face him. A small splash of coffee hit the desk, causing Hank to clear his throat, clearly not amused by this. Gavin had no issues ignoring him.

“I don’t know if I would be able to? He won’t even talk to me, Gav.” There was a hurt present in the brother’s voice, a genuine expression of feeling.  _ Gross.  _ “He’s always been stubborn like this, but I’ve never seen him get this bad. Maybe Amanda could convince him?”

A small pop-up appeared in the android’s vision, detailing the information. Gavin crossed his legs underneath him, still sitting on the desk as he processed the information.

__           Amanda Stern  
__           Professor: University of Colbridge  
__           Age: 60  
_           Adoptive mother of Connor and Conan Stern  
_ **_No other relevant data found_ **

With a few pieces of information to tuck away for later, Gavin frowned. “Maybe if you brought her over, you both could convince him? He nearly ripped my arm off, throwing me out of the room the last time I suggested it. He can’t do that to a human.” He pointed out, the tone in the artificial voice  _ not _ joking around for once.

Both of Connor’s hands came down onto Gavin’s knees, the gasp that slipped from him almost too much. “You’re all right, yeah? He hasn’t actually hurt you, has he?” The worry was so  _ genuine _ it actually made Gavin uncomfortable. Which was visible, given Hank’s quick response.

“You forget that androids can’t feel pain, lieutenant.”  
“I did not! I meant… Mentally, of course. Mental anguish.”

A short laugh came out of Gavin at that, the somewhat quick response implying that the brother had absolutely forgotten that simple fact. Hank smiled, just a bit to himself, as he settled in for more paperwork. With Conan gone, their workload was already getting heavier.

“Conan couldn’t fuck me up more than I already am.” The smaller android was quick to point out, his spotty memory and history not something that he bothered to hide from anyone.

“Language!”  
“Oh not you too. I’m an adult, I can say fuck if I want.”

“You’re barely a year old, RK900. Hardly an adult.” Hank was quick to point out, still typing away as he did so.

“Shut the fuck up, you old tin can!” Gavin huffed, crossing his arms right over his chest once again. “But seriously, contact your mom for me? Let me know if you can drop by tonight. I’m going to need some serious backup with this, because he’s not going to take it well.” Pushing himself up, he leapt off the desk and landed on the floor, before heading towards the door. Waving a hand in the air, he just called out, “I’m gonna go make sure the worthless meat bag eats!  _ Ciao~. _ ”

                                                                                               -------

Conan had, in fact, not eaten.

He had entered the kitchen at one point, purely to feed Sidekick, before curling back up on the couch and listening to the little kitten eat to her heart’s content. He had entered again, much later, to make himself more tea and settle in for the day. Other than those instances, a single one to use the bathroom and once to get a different book, Conan hadn’t moved.

When Gavin announced his arrival, he at least looked up at the other, hearing the sound of grocery bags on his arms.

“You’re not a domestic model, you know.” There was no hello, no form of greeting at all. The mug as slowly brought to his lips, the tea bitter as it grew cold.  _ Disappointing. _

“And you promised me you would eat twice a day.”  
“You haven’t been sleeping.”  
“You would only know that if  _ you _ haven’t been sleeping.”  
“Perhaps I haven’t been.”  
“Well,  _ maybe _ that’s a problem. Did you forget that you need sleep to do that thing called functioning?”  
“ _ I’m fine. _ ”

“And I’m calling bullshit.” The android retorted, getting the final word in as he walked into the kitchen. He knelt down to pet the kitten lightly, Conan’s true protector for the moment. “Fowler is worried. So is like, everyone else. Believe it or not, people miss you around the precinct.”

Conan shifted slightly, so he could watch the android out of the corner of his eye, pulling bread, bacon and eggs from the bag. “Tell Fowler to take me off leave then.”

“He won’t do it without an eval, Conan, and you know that.” Turning the gas range on, Gavin knew that if he cooked this right, he could get the detective to eat it. He had, at least, picked up on a few of the human’s favorite things.

“ _ No. _ ” The same reaction that Gavin had been getting, which was then followed by the predictable silence.

| **Con >>> ****313 248 317-87** **:** I filled Amanda in on what was going on, and she agreed to come help.|  
| **313 248 317-87** **> >> Con: **That’s some good news, at least. I’m gonna try and get the fuck to eat something. Maybe he won’t be such a baby then.|  
| **Con >>> ****313 248 317-87** **:** Gav, don’t be rude. |  
| **313 248 317-87** **> >> Con:** How was that rude?! Facts aren’t rude!|  
| **Con >>> ****313 248 317-87** **:** Give me an hour or two to get over there.|  
| **313 248 317-87** **> >> Con: **Can do. Maybe I can get his ass in the shower too.|  
| **Con >>> ****313 248 317-87** **:** Please watch your language around Amanda!|  
| **313 248 317-87** **> >> Con: **Can do, lieutenant.|

Twenty minutes later and an ungodly amount of bacon that was left to devour, Conan had, at least, gotten something in his stomach. Tea refreshed, at least casually munching his way through the greasy breakfast food, Gavin finally broached the subject.

Carefully holding the kitten in his arms as somewhat of a deterrent, the android was pacing back and forth in front of the detective, trying to think of the best way to handle this. Naturally, he went with his classic way. Blurting it out was going to be the most effective anyways. Probably.

“So, just so you know, your mother and brother are on their way here. For the record, this was not my idea, and I did not condone it. Blame Fowler and Connor.” It was a good thing that Gavin was good at pre-constructing things, otherwise he would have taken the book right into the face. Ducking to the side, he hid Sidekick under the table, before glancing up at the almost seething human.

“She is  _ not _ my mother. And she  _ will not _ be allowed in this house.” Conan was on his feet now, as Gavin stood back up. Hands coming to rest on his hips, he was more than ready for this fight.

“Well  _ someone _ has to convince your dumb ass to go and get evaluated. Since I failed, and Connor couldn’t be convinced, he brought in your  _ mother _ . What does that say about you?” Gavin asked, watching. He was waiting for it to happen, the moment that Conan lost that last shred of cool.

He took note to make sure that Sidekick had taken off down the hall, to safety. Good.

The larger man took a step closer, Gavin’s mind pre-constructing new actions from each movement. He would take the other down, if needed, but he really didn’t want to have to do that.

“I don’t need an evaluation. I’m handing everything just fine.”  
“Oh totally. Not eating, sleeping or showering is exactly how you handle things when you’re just fine.”

“I don’t  _ need help _ . You’re not one to talk, you broken down piece of shit.”   
“Your attempts at flattery are terrible, but feel free to keep trying.”

And there it was, the split second lunge that he had been waiting for. Weighing his options, he looked at the few conclusions that came to mind.  _ Avoid the table in front of them. Hitting the bookcase to the right isn’t ideal, but he has a 99% chance of living. Backwards, he would hit the side table. _

**_ >>>Directives:_ **

**_ >>>_ ** _ Bring my detective back to me in one piece _

Into the bookcase it was then. A hand reached up, latching onto the wrist of the human as the other one grabbed into his forearm. Using his own momentum against him, Gavin twisted, yanking that heavy body with him as he went. Instead of getting the chance to latch onto the android, Conan felt himself slam into the bookcase to the side, never having been happier that he had secured the damn thing to the wall. A few books still tumbled down it, but nothing too heavy.

Gavin moved down, kneeling before the human.Carefully, those synthetic fingers ran lightly through the mop of brown hair, sliding down and along his cheek afterwards. “Can you honestly tell me that you’re alright? Conan?” He asked, sounding sincere. Finally. He felt them again though, those soft tears that slid comfortably down his cheek.

“Of course I’m not alright.” Gavin slipped down into a sitting position, curling his legs underneath himself before gently tugging on Conan’s shirt. The man obliged, a strong hand reaching up to latch onto the hoodie before him. He pressed his face into Gavin’s stomach, tears falling there instead of on himself.

“Then why won’t you talk to someone?” The fingers continued to stroke through that hair, down his neck and over Conan’s shoulders. It was meant as a comfort, before he took the time to analyze the future injuries.

“I’m not that  _ weak. _ ”

“It’s not a weakness, you fucking disaster. Even I ask for help sometimes. Why do you think I can tolerate Chloe so well?” He asked, a few things popping into his vision. There was going to be some nasty bruising, but no lasting damage to take note of.

The silence was only a bit uncomfortable that fell after that, but the unease shifted away after a moment or two. Conan continued to lay there, eyes closed as the tears slowly dried. It was the soft mew of Sidekick that actually made him look up, the furball not hesitating to walk right up to him and bump her head into his hand.

It was almost reactionary, the way he immediately went to start petting the animal once again. Conan finally sat up, looking over the scene after a moment and sighing. He definitely felt like a disaster, at the moment. “I’ll talk to Amanda about it. If she can recommend someone, then maybe I’ll consider it.” He offered, which was more than Gavin had gotten so far. So that sounded like a win to him.

“You need to shower though. You smell like five dudes had their way with you last night.” Gavin added, waving a hand in front of his face as he looked at the detective.

“You are constantly so charming.”  
“Not my fault you smell like a foursome gone right.”  
“You know you can’t speak like that in front of Amanda, right?”  
“So I’ve heard. You know you can’t smell like that in front of her, right?”  
“I can take the hint.”  
“Are you sure about that?”

Conan groaned slightly, as he shifted to his feet. His eyes glanced around once more, shifting just a bit. “I know you’re not a domestic model, but--”

“But can I clean up the fucking disaster of a house that you’ve created? Would you like me to put on a maid’s outfit before I do it to?” He asked, pushing himself to his feet as well. “I will if you promise to shower and sleep tonight.”

“You have to sleep too.”  
“Deal.”

                                                                                               -------

To his credit, Gavin was far from a domestic model. No, he was also a disaster, but managed to get everything into a working order at least. Books on the shelves once again, dishes into the sink. He started the electric kettle, figuring that Conan had to get his fondness for tea from somewhere. 

He could hear the shower turn off, as he heard the alarm buzz. Wandering over to the door, Gavin just threw it open, revealing Connor and probably the most sardonic face that he had ever seen on another person. On the plus side, Connor said something before Gavin had the chance to.

“RK900!” Connor smiled, but Gavin could easily see just how stressed Connor was. It was a strange look on him, and one that was actually discomforting. “This is Professor Stern! Is Conan up and moving?”

The woman nodded once, as Gavin held the door open for her. Once she crossed the threshold, chestnut eyes locked onto his, a look that he wasn’t familiar with. “I never thought that one of the RK models could become so domestic. Just what has my son done to you? He  _ ruined _ a perfectly good model.” It was just low enough that Connor might not pick up on it, but there was no way for Gavin to miss it.

Gavin really hadn’t  _ meant _ to slam the door shut, that was for sure. He coughed unnecessarily, not responding to either comment as he moved to go down the hallway, in the search for the detective. Knocking on the closed door, he didn’t wait for a response to enter and closed it quickly behind him. “For the love of fuck, give a guy some warning that your mother is a fucking  **bitch** .”

“I absolutely warned you. That’s why I said I didn’t want her in the house.” Conan said, sliding the soft shirt over his shoulders as he sat there for a moment.

Gavin’s eyes flickered over a deep scar on his back, pushing that thought away until later. Those bruises were starting to form as well… “Well, she’s here now, and if it wasn’t for Connor, I would have slammed the door in her face.”

I heard you slam the door anyways.”  
“Shut up.”  
“Tell me what she said later.”

Gavin nodded, letting Conan lead the way out. At least he was in clean clothing, and looked far more like his normal self as he entered the living room. Amanda had seated herself down, and Connor was currently kneeling down and playing with Sidekick, who had made her own grand appearance.

“I didn’t know you had gotten a kitten, Conan!” Connor said, as the younger brother walked into the kitchen, preparing Amanda’s tea for her. He returned only after a few moments, setting the cup, saucer and spoon in front of her. She glanced at him before just nodding once.

“Sidekick belongs to RK900, not me.” Connor said, taking the chair at the edge of the table, waiting for it to start. Gavin wandered over, standing next to Connor and his pet.

Connor glanced at him as Gavin produced a stuffed mouse, the older brother chuckling as he watched the small kitten fetch it. Amanda sat silently, slowly drinking the tea as she watched her son.

Once the cup was sat back on the table, she turned immediately to Conan. “I’ve already been briefed on what happened.” Gavin quietly noted the fact that this woman seemed to have no chill. “I’m disappointed, frankly, that you haven’t taken the time to go and see someone. Do you care so little for yourself and your job that you would throw it away on being so stubborn?”

Both the android and the older brother glanced up, and Gavin’s stomach dropped. Or so his processors tried to mimic at least. “Of course not, Amanda. The extended leave of absence is simply to give myself enough time to process what had happened.”

“That time would have been shorted already if you would have seen someone right away. You do realize that your absence is causing your brother some distress as well, don’t you?” She asked, her hands folding neatly into her lap. Gavin watched as Conan seemed to straighten himself up some, sitting a bit taller.

“I had not realized that, no. With the RK900 going into the precinct, I had hoped that would circumvent the issues of my absence. Apparently, I was wrong.” Gavin had risen to his feet after another moment, wandering over to stand behind Conan instead.

“Then you’ll consider going and talking to Lucy then? Without a fight.” It wasn’t a request, it was a demand. “She is quite competent, and very good with this particular sort of events. She was an intern to Doctor Graff when you were seeing him.” Gavin noticed the way he seemed to tense slightly at the name, making another note of it for later. Still, his fingers slid over the back of the chair, taking a moment to warm them up and press a couple to the back of Conan’s neck.

“Please leave her information here, and I will give her a call.” He offered, thankful for the android behind him. It felt better, not having to face her alone.

“You will see her.”  
“Yes, Amanda. Of course.”

Gavin leaned lazily on the back of the chair, sighing and using his actions as an excuse to hide the fact that he was running his fingers through the back of the other’s hair. Over the last few days, Gavin had really picked up on the fact that Conan responded well to physical comfort, more so that verbally.

She had noticed.

“Good. Call her tonight.”

She was already rising to her feet, moving calmly towards the door. Connor and Conan both followed suit, Gavin watching from the sidelines. The hug that Conan gave to Connor was stiff, more robotic than either of the RK models could have managed. The light kiss to Amanda’s cheek was almost cringe-worthy, but it didn’t seem like she would leave without it.

“Call me soon, Conan. I  _ do _ miss hearing from you.” Amanda said, as Conan nodded again. “Of course, if you are too  _ distracted _ perhaps we can do something to fix that as well.” The gaze flickered to Gavin, making the android straighten up slightly as well.

“Of course I’m not too distracted. You will hear from me soon.” She nodded, making him lean down so that she could press a kiss to his cheek in kind. Connor waved as he ushered his mother out, closing the door behind him. Conan immediately locked the door, kneeling down in front of the door as he did so.

Gavin glanced between the man and the kitchen, walking off to go and make him another mug of tea before bringing it back. He held it out to the human, Conan letting out a shaky breath as he took it from his android.

“Sorry you had to see that.”  
“Sorry your adopted mom is a raging bitch.”  
“You don’t know the half of it.”

Gavin gave him a small smile, jerking his head over to the couch. “Go actually relax, let’s find something stupid to watch together tonight.”

“I never thought that watching old reality shows would bring me any form of comfort.” Conan muttered, watching Gavin as he quickly cleaned up any traces of the woman from the room.

“If you can’t sit down and enjoy 90 Day Fiance, are you really enjoying life?”

                                                                                               -------

Lucy’s office was sparsely but pleasantly decorated, tasteful art on the walls that just set Conan on edge. Gavin had settled himself down on the table in the middle of the room, rocking back and forth slightly in his own anxiousness. How an android could be anxious, the detective would never understand. He watched Conan’s fingers drumming lightly on his thigh as he waited, neither of them really wanting to be here at this point. 

But Conan’s urge to get back to work outweighed his nerves and the uncomfortable pit that sat in his stomach. Watching that door open, both android and human turned towards it and watched a rather shaken blonde man leave, and the android noted some admittedly nasty scars resting on his face.  Gavin took a moment to look over the woman’s face, kind eyes turning towards the two of them. “I’m afraid I will be taking Detective Stern from you now, RK900. Please, feel free to join us if something should arise. If not, I will have him back to you within the hour.” She explained, as Conan rose from the chair.

Gavin watched, nodding to the woman as she extended a hand to Conan. He took it, grasping her hand lightly before releasing it just as quickly. Gavin watched as that door closed, elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands. It was going to be a damn long hour.

                                                                                               -------

“Is it alright if I refer to you as Conan?” she asked, offering him a seat as she settled down across from him. 

“Of course. You prefer Lucy, yes?”

“I do.” She nodded, a pad of paper resting comfortably on her lap. “Tell me how you’re doing, Conan. I promise, nothing will leave this room.” It was a soft spoken promise that his mother wouldn’t be able to access the files.

His fingers slowly threaded together in his lap, his brow furrowing slightly as they sat there. “I just want to get authorized to get back to work.” He explained, letting out a slow sigh. “So whatever needs to happen to make that possible, then that’s what I would like to discuss.”

She nodded, looking over at him. “How have you been coping, Conan? Have you been eating right? Sleeping right?”

Conan sighed slightly, glancing over at her. This was going to be a long hour…

                                                                                               -------

Gavin had thrown himself onto the chair that Conan had vacated, legs over one arm and his head hanging over the other side as he stared around the empty waiting room. His processors were running so quickly, actually concentrating on work for the moment as he waited. Somewhere in his mind, somewhere in the work they had done, there was some sort of clue that they had overlooked, and he was absolutely determined to find it. Gavin found himself almost feeling desperate, wanting to find the  _ him _ that he had defended so vehemently.

He didn’t even register that Conan had joined him, Lucy watching the two of them from the side. A small smile was on her lips as she watched Conan lean into his line of sight, causing the android to jerk back. “ _ What the  _ **_shit_ ** _ , Conan?! _ ” he demanded, watching the humans both chuckle.

Gavin frowned between the two of them, pushing himself up and to his feet as the two of them shook hands once again. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he let the embarrassment settle in for just a moment.  _ Fucking humans… _ He couldn't help himself, huffing as he walked over to the door. “Take care of him for me, RK900. And bring him back in a few days. We need a few more sessions before I can officially clear him.” She explained, and Gavin nodded, though he still didn’t look at her.

Conan seemed… brighter. Something that he was slightly envious of, something that he couldn’t bring out of the other. Gavin seemed to shrink in further, wishing that he had been paying attention to what they had been saying inside the damn room. “You seem to be doing okay now. Why does she need to see you again?” Gavin couldn’t help but ask.

“I’ll explain later. Do… you think you could get us home?” He asked, passing the keys right into the android’s hand. He didn’t even wait for an answer, moving to slide in the car without anything else. Gavin noted the slight tremor in his hands.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll gladly take any chance to drive your beast of a car.” The least he could do was get the other home safe.

They were up the stairs soon after, Conan bee-lining right for his room once they were in. Gavin took his time, letting the other have his moment to himself as he ran around the house. Feeding Sidekick, watering the slightly dead plant, locking all the doors and shutting off the lights, all the simple things that he could do to keep himself busy for a few minutes.

When Gavin actually did make it into the room, Conan was sitting on the bed, just staring at his hands and barely moving. The android sighed slightly, walking over to his useless human. Carefully, Gavin pulled him to his feet, taking his time to get him out of the button down shirt. Throwing it to the floor, his hoodie joined it soon after, along with his shoes. With a light slap to the human’s hip, he pointed towards his closet.

“Sleep pants, now.” He said simply, moving to unmake the bed that had ended up far too neat for his tastes. He didn’t watch as Conan changed, not wanting to embarrass his already broken human. When Conan shuffled back, Gavin just shoved him back and into the bed, looking down at him.

“Stay with me.”  
“I’m not going anywhere, dumb ass.”  
“No, I mean… In the bed with me.”  
“Is this some fucking attempt to get me to sleep?”

The question wasn’t answered right away, But Gavin focused on those blue eyes for a moment, and the pain that was hidden right there. The android hesitated, something clicking in his mind. Without an ounce of hesitation, he crawled into the bed with the human and almost immediately felt said human draw the small android in close. He felt Conan’s face press into his hair, the arm tighten against his waist.

“Just for tonight, okay?” Gavin asked, letting a hand come to rest on top of Conan’s hand, stroking along it lightly.

Conan nodded, “Just for tonight.” It was a lie. Both of them were just lying to the other, it was just going to take a long time to admit the truth.

“Good night, Gavin.”  
“Yeah, yeah, Get some damn sleep, Conan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am absolutely watching 90 Day Fiance as I write this. 
> 
> As usual, thank you, and I adore you all! One day, the chapters will stop getting longer. Maybe.


	6. A Touch of Light, Before the Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin doesn't understand how feelings work, but Chloe is more than willing to provide an assist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a warning, there is a brief description of body horror in this. If machine's being ripped apart isn't your thing, skip a bit into it. And as always, please take care of yourself!
> 
> Welcome to the image that spurred on this chapter, as it was the hardest one yet. Who knows why, I can't ever tell how my brain is doing anymore.   
> Thank you, thank you, and please check them out!   
> https://twitter.com/Snppd_C/status/1086779905659031554

It was something that Conan was used to dealing with. Nightmares. Chloe had given him the warning that Gavin had the ability to have nightmares, but he hadn’t expected them to be quite so violent. The android had been kind enough to act almost as a personal heater through the nights after, but nothing quite woke a person up more effectively than a strong punch to the face. Conan wished he could claim that it was the first time it had happened. 

Ice blue eyes flashed open and glanced over, studying the form of the struggling android. The first attempt at pulling him closer did nothing, so Conan did what he had always done with his brother and pinned the android down against the bed.

This was why Gavin hated to enter stasis. Even with the wipe to his memory, when he was given enough time to actually analyze his thoughts bits and pieces of what happened would come back to his mind, leaving him with questions and no satisfying answers. Or in this case, it left him with flashes of bright light, sparks flying off his body. He could feel the sensations of the joints in his fingers slowly being separated. A blank face sat before him, almost cooing as a pair of hands slowly snipped away at the wires connecting each joint.

Gavin might not have been able to feel pain, but he felt fear. Absolute fear. The only definition he could give to the man in front of him was  _ Male _ , and he only knew it from his own words. His own voice screaming  _ Sir _ begging for them to stop the torment that they put him through. He never knew if he was going to be plagued with malfunctions blaring in his ears as body parts got replaced by inappropriate ones. Having his sound sensors changed out so that all he could hear was static. Having his optics removed, so that all he could see was darkness.

And then, one day, it all ended.

Which was how Gavin found himself, being pinned to the bed by the massive form that was Conan Stern. It took a few extra seconds for his mind to confirm that it was the face of his partner, a slow trickle of tears slipping from his eyes as he was held down like that.

“Y-you idiot.” Gavin found himself whispering, flexing his fingers slightly. He felt Conan release those hands, only for Gavin to reach up and take one of them.” I can’t believe you let me punch you like that. Why are your reflexes so fucking slow?” There was still a tremble in his voice, the front he was putting on wasn’t actually that convincing.

Or convincing at all. “Well, I was trying to get a restful sleep. Perhaps we should chalk my terrible reflexes to being tired.” Conan didn’t let go of the hand, already being able to predict the android’s next move.

He was right, as Gavin almost immediately attempted to flee the bed. Falling back onto his side, an arm held the lightweight model to himself, still refusing to release him. “Lemme go.” Came the whisper, more of a pout than anything.

“No.”  
“I won’t be sleeping anymore, so let me go!”  
“It’s three am, and some of us would like more sleep. Besides, if you leave the bed, you’re going to kick Sidekick.”  
_ Mew _ ~

Gavin looked down at the small meow, the kitten clawing her way up the bed to her owner. Without so much as a warning, she settled down on the pillow and proceeded to lick his synthetic hair, just a few times.

“ _ Fuck. _ ” He muttered, reaching up to stroke the kitten with his free hand. Conan kept both of his arms around the android, instinctively pressing his face into the back of the other’s neck as he lay there.  His eyes were closed, he couldn’t see the soft fade of blue that came to the android’s face at that. Trapped in bed, he decided to enter stasis again. Maybe it would be better this time…

                                                                                               -------

Conan was in the shower when Gavin’s eyes flickered open, the sound of those fucking birds that lived right outside the window doing him in. He wanted nothing more than to do something about it, but watching Sidekick patrolling the window sill and meowing at them with the strange little click in it? No, that was too cute to stop. 

His fingers curled into the bed sheets, as he took in everything. Sleeping in Conan’s bed with him, feeling Conan’s warm breath against the sensitive panel at the back of his neck, and those hands. Those warm hands…  _ Why the fuck was his thirium regulator hammering in his chest? _ He shook those thoughts away, shuffling quietly into the secondary room that he had taken over. A few changes of clothes rested in the closet, all of them slight variations on the uniform that Cyberlife had presented him with. His head seemed more of a mess than usual as he contacted the medical center he frequented, setting up an appointment to see Chloe. He didn’t  _ want _ to, but he needed to.

Checking it against the detective’s calendar, he could at least line it up with Conan going to see Lucy. They were a few sessions in now, and as much as he enjoyed attempting to listen through the door.. Well, maybe the man would get cleared today.

Conan came out of the bathroom and peeked around the corner, watching the android for a long moment. That LED had been red since he had been woken up, and his own cheek had started to bruise up nicely, which he wasn’t looking forward to explaining.

“Jesus fucking Christ, don’t you ever put on any damn clothing?!” The android shouted, Looking over at the human, who chuckled as he walked into his own room. “You  _ live _ with someone, you can’t just be walking around in a damn towel!”

“Be glad I had anything on.” The detective responded, kicking his door closed and only emerging once he was fully clothed. Teasing the android, getting him riled up like that, there was something soothing about it. Besides, any sense of normalcy between them usually resulted in those brief flashes of blue from the LED. Just once, he would love to see it stay the vibrant, healthy color.

He found the android pouting, though the sound and smell of warm coffee being brewed told him that he hadn’t pushed him  _ too _ far. Good. A mug sat in front of Gavin as well, this strange sort of habit having become quite familiar for the two of them. Whether it was coffee or warmed up thirium in the cup varied day to day, but just sitting in silence, over a few news tablet and waking up to the morning had almost become comfortable. Conan could get used to this domestic life… As long as it involved less punching.

“I’m going to go see Chloe today.” Those grey eyes were watching him, the rest of his face obscured by both hands and mug as he sat there. Just trying to gauge a reaction, that was all he wanted to do.

“The medical facility is quite close to Lucy’s office. I assume that you set up the appointments around the same time?”  
“Of-fucking-course I did.”  
“Then I’ll head over after I’m done, and wait for you to finish up.”

A bit of relief seemed to flicker over those eyes, the red slipping to a more pleasant yellow, just for a moment. Well, at least he had calmed down for a few seconds. Conan continued to gaze over the headlines, glad to find out that Connor and Hank had kept the string of murders under wraps in his absence. “ I’m proud of you for seeking help.”

“It’s  _ not _ like that!” The exclamation was followed by Gavin standing up too quickly, knocking over the chair as he made a quick exit from the room. He beelined for his kitten on the couch, knowing exactly what to do when he was feeling… Whatever this stupid emotion was. Sometimes, he hated that he had deviated. He could have been quite happy without all these damn thoughts. Conan just watched, slightly amused as he finished off that first cup of coffee.

                                                                                               -------

He would be on his third cup by the time they left the house, and Gavin was still pouting as they walked out to the car. More and more he came to regret the decision of making the appointment,  knowing that he never enjoyed someone poking and prodding around in his mind. But when it came to humans, Gavin trusted very few of them, especially when they had the power to mess around with his circuitry. Conan parked the car, reaching over and gently rested a hand on the short android’s shoulder, not saying a thing as he started the short walk to the office. 

The android shivered at the touch, and it had nothing to do with the snow that was currently falling around them. Huffing, he turned and stomped off, but not before pulling his hood up to hide his face. This was all so fucking stupid, why did the human have to  _ keep touching him _ ? More importantly, why wasn’t he  _ stopping _ it? This was why he needed to see Chloe. Clearly something was malfunctioning in his processors.

Stepping into the clinic, he made sure to  _ as always _ ignore the whispers and mutters at his appearance. Really, he was going to need to give Hank a big  **fuck you** for blessing him with this curse. Or maybe he could just stop wearing the hoodie that broadcasted his model number to the world… But he was honestly rather fond of the old thing. The android behind the counter waved him in, he knew what room he was going to, after all. Nothing said special like being one of three androids that could actually be serviced in there.

"Hello, my love!” The sweet voice greeted him as he pushed open the door, Chloe being the equivalent of liquid sunshine in his eyes. Both hands came up, gently pressing to his cheeks and she took her time looking him over. The smile slipped just for a second, focusing on that LED, before it came right back up. There was something different about her, though. His mind ticked through a few options.

Sick? No  
Tired? A bit.  
Stressed? More than usual.  
  
“Chloe Kamski, are you _fucking pregnant?_ ” The android asked, the incredulous tone hoping that what he was piecing together wasn’t true. Gavin had never really enjoyed being around Elijah. After all, if someone could stand to create android clones of his wife, and then keep them lounging around half nude all day, there was something really fucked up about that person. Not that he ever mentioned this to Chloe.

“Don’t go shouting it around! I didn’t think it was that noticeable yet.”  
“I’m so telling RK800, and 200.”  
“Don’t you  _ dare! _ ”

A smirk rested on his lips, reaching up to take one of her hands in his own. “But shouldn’t we all celebrate? You’re like… Our mom in a way. I need to let them all know that we’re going to have a baby sibling to torment.”

Chloe laughed, squeezing his hand and leading him over to the chair, that he had resided in so many times before. Sitting down, she pulled up a chair as well, sitting right in front of him as she took the hand again. “You have a bit of damage here. Were you fighting?” She asked, a soft tone of concern there. “I thought you and Detective Stern had been taken off active duty for a bit.”

“I punched him last night.”  
“Did he deserve it?”  
“No.”

Chloe frowned, sliding the rolling chair across the floor to grab a small bottle, before sliding right back over to him. She took her time, carefully dabbing a bit of the synthetic skin over the barely exposed plastic underneath. Someone who wasn’t familiar with the androids would have never noticed. “Then tell me what happened, RK900.”

This was why he had come here, after all. To try and get information on what might have happened to him. “I think humans call them nightmares. I struck him in my sleep.”

Chloe nodded, tapping the end of the swab against her lip as she looked him over. It took a moment for the sentence to click. ‘Wait, are you sharing a bed with the detective, 900?!” She asked, slamming both of her hands down on his knees. Leaning in, she was smirking. “I never thought you would advance to a level like that!”

“ **No. No, nope, whatever you’re thinking right now is** **_wrong_ ** .” It was an immediate denial, but she didn’t need to be an android to read how much his stress level had skyrocketed. The slight tinge of blue around his ears and over the scar on his nose was a nice touch as well. She hummed for a minute, leaning back in the chair.

"Okay, okay. I’ll stop teasing you.” She was absolutely not going to stop teasing him. “Though, I think what you’re describing is a night terror. Did you retain any of the information from what happened?”

Shaking his head, he finally glanced back over to the woman. “Just fear. A lot of fear. I thought my pump would give out, it was beating so fast.” He explained, though he couldn’t think of a better way to detail it for her.

Chloe nodded, standing up to look over him again. “So we need to run a diagnostics test, see what’s getting your brain so messed up then. Besides your partner.” Her smile couldn’t have been brighter. “Is there anything else you want to address before we put you under?”

“He’s  _ not _ messing up my--” Gavin rolled his eyes, holding out an arm for her to open the port at his wrist. “Is it weird that he touches me so often?”

She knew it. “A lot of humans express affection through touch. Though I would have assumed that you would realize that by now, 900.” Her fingers tapped at the skin, watching it peel away as she slid the I.V. into the easily accessed panel there.

“In case you can’t tell, he’s not an  _ affectionate guy _ ! He’s stubborn, an asshole, he’s slightly less of a fuck up then I am! And now he wants me sleeping in the same bed as him, because I’m like his personal fucking heater or something!” He just watched the smile on her lips. “Stop smirking like you know something I don’t!”

“I’ve lived with all of these complex human emotions a lot longer than you have. Describe what else you’ve been feeling to me.” Chloe was no therapist, but this was something she could help with quite easily.

“My thirium regulator feels like it’s going off the hook when he held me close last night.” He started out, his free hand resting on his own chest. “And when he’s wandering around basically naked, and the smirk that he gets sometimes, he picks on me even more now. It makes me feel like I’m going insane.”

“Wait, the detective likes to wander around naked? I think that would get anyone’s blood pumping.”  
“Not the point, Chloe.”  
“This is absolutely the point, 900. Now go into detail about it.”

Gavin let out a groan, burying his face into his hands as he did so. “I’m having enough problems concentrating as it is, without having to think about that.” He muttered, memories of that now stuck in the forefront of his brain. “There was a point last night, after we both settled back down, where he was breathing on the back of my neck. I had to power down because it felt like my regulator was going to explod--What the  _ fuck _ Chloe, stop  _ smirking like that! _ ”

She chuckled, glancing back over at him. “You’re experiencing something ranging around liking someone to love, to lust, depending on where your feelings lie. Maybe you should have a conversation about that with him?” She asked, standing up to push him forward and expose that back panel. They  _ did _ have a diagnostic to run, after all. Night terrors were concerning.

“Oh hell no. Nope. No way. Love is for people like Connor and Hank. I’m pretty sure Conan doesn’t even know what the concept is. And I sure as hell don’t feel that way for some meat sack!” The denial was just a point too far to be believable, as she attached the wiring to his neck.

“Just give it some thought.” She smiled, leaning him back. “Now enter stasis for me, 900, and we’ll get you all cleared up.”

                                                                                                -------

Conan was over the moon as he entered the clinic. Flashing his credentials at the android receptionist, she directed him to the room and let him go on his way. With a small hum, he walked into the room and looked at the engineer as she stared at the screen in front of her. “Good afternoon, Chloe.” It was a warm greeting, pleasant in it’s own way.

“Hello, detective! You seem to have a bit more pep in your step as compared to the last time I saw you.” She chirruped back, looking him over with a knowing eye. She wasn’t one to meddle, but oh how she wanted to.

“Good news always puts me in a good mood.” He said simply, moving into the vacant seat next to her. ‘It seems like you might have some good news as well. How long until you hit term?”

“ __ Did 900 tell you too?!”  
“ No, no. I’ve always just had a good eye for that sort of thing.”  
“I’m just going into my third month.”

“You’re going to make a wonderful mother, Chloe.” He said, turning his eyes to the screen for a moment. It was fascinating to watch, knowing that the woman before him had started and perfected this code. “So what’s going on with Gavi-- RK900?”

“You can call him Gavin around me.” She hummed, tapping the screen lightly.It looked almost like a film reel at points, with large chunks of memories missing from them. “I think what was happening was that some of the memories weren’t fully erased.So what I’m trying to do is… Well, trim the edges, so to say. Something got under his skin to trigger that same fear response, but he won’t tell me a damn thing about it.”

Conan nodded, fascinated by all of it. “So there’s a chance I might get hit again, if that same response is triggered?” She nodded in agreement, before turning back to look at the peaceful android.

“Can I tell you a secret?”  
“Will he hate me if you tell me?”  
“I don’t think he’s capable of hating you, detective.”  
“Doubtful. But please, tell me.”

Her fingers pressed together slightly, as she tried to find the careful words.”I think the fear was somehow triggered by you. Potentially along the line of  thought of losing you. Have you and 900 become that close?”

“My trust has grown in him, you could say. He has seen me at some exceedingly vulnerable points, and has helped me through them.” Therapy had not been good to Conan, but it had been needed, something he did not like to admit out loud.

“So the short answer would have been yes.”  
“To put it bluntly.”  
“He informed me that you requested he share a bed with you.”

It was rare to embarrass the man, but the barest tinge of pink went to his ears as he let out a soft cough. “It’s not as it sounds. I just prefer to have a body in bed next to me in times of high stress.”

“How clinical sounding.” She tapped a pen against her lip, as if she was thinking about something. The slight flicker of Gavin waking up was just what she had wanted to see, now that she had Conan’s attention. “Are you saying that you wouldn’t want the arrangement to continue?”

“I have no issues with the arrangement continuing. It’s beneficial to both of us, and with such a job, finding comfort in small actions is a must.” He hadn’t notice the shift in the chair, too determined to keep his body from revealing how embarrassing of a conversation this was to him.

“And you tease him because…?”  
“I find it humorous. When he gets particularly flustered, I’ve seen his LED turn blue.” 

“Oh my  **fuck** just  _ shut up already _ .” Gavin groaned from the chair, unhooking the wires from his wrist and neck as he sat up. “You two are fucking monsters.” Leaning forward, he closed up his ports and stretched, glaring between the two of them. “And I knew you were doing that on purpose, you son of a bitch,”

Conan shot a glare at Chloe, who just winked and smiled up at him. “You two should have a nice big talk tonight.” She added, as the detective shoved his hands into his pockets, Gavin doing something similar. ‘I’ll take another look into all of this and let you know if you're in the clear by tonight, 900. I can’t have your partner going back without you.”

Waving them out of the room, Conan started off towards the door, into the slowly growing snow. He didn’t like being tricked like that, especially when it was something so personal to his heart. They were halfway to his car when he felt that light tug on his arm, though.

“Hey, hold up. About something she said.”  
“You’re going to embarrass me in the snow, Gavin?”

The android shifted slightly, a few people rushing passed them to get out of the snow as quickly as possible. “Naw, not that. Did… you get the all clear to go back?”

Conan could have smacked himself. In his annoyance, he had completely forgotten about that. With a soft smile pulling at his lips, he nodded.”I did. I was going to call the captain when we got home.”

Gavin shifted from foot to foot again, his gaze still determinedly faced towards the ground. “I’m… Really proud of you, you know. It takes a lot of work to get through that shit.”

Conan didn’t know why he did it, but he brought a hand up, placing it against the android’s cheek. Maybe Chloe was right. Maybe they needed to have a long conversation soon. The way that Gavin relaxed into the touch, it was a sign. And more of a sign was that LED turning the lightest shade of blue. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” Conan found himself whispering, before removing his hand.

It was the middle of a snow storm, in the middle of a plaza, and this was not the time to be doing this. The hand shifted away, and in his disappointment, the LED slid back to yellow. Still, a hand slid around Gavin’s wrist, pulling him along. “We should go home, before the weather gets worse.”

                                                                                               -------

“You know, I kind of like the snow.” Gavin announced, walking into the apartment and immediately stripping off his hoodie. Conan caught it before he could drop it to the floor, handing it up next to his own scarf and jacket. 

“It’s cold, wet, and makes our job harder. How could you think there was absolutely anything to like about it?” Conan asked, kicking off the wet shoes and grumbling just slightly. He needed to go and get into some dry clothing, as soon as possible.

“Only two of those things apply to me, remember?” Gavin said, making his way into the kitchen. Almost immediately, he started another pot of coffee for the two of them. Conan muttered something incoherent under his breath as he stalked off, leaving the both of them to their own thoughts.

Gavin was curled up on the couch by the time Conan joined him again, coffee in another mug waiting him as well. It was the small comforts that got the android through the day, and the ability to enjoy something that was literally hot bean juice was definitely one of them. With Sidekick lounging on the back of the couch between them, this was it, this was what relaxation felt like to the android. This was comfort.

Whether it became more or less comfortable when Conan leaned over, resting his head on the other’s shoulder, Gavin couldn’t decide right away. It took him a few panicked seconds to realize that Conan had quite literally just fallen asleep, right then and there.

A true shame, the man was never going to find out which house the somehow wealthy dog walker was going to buy. A part of him knew that he should have woken the other up, this was going to be absolutely detrimental to his sleep schedule. But Gavin let him sleep, a small smile resting on his lips.

It was the loud gasp that lifted him from his own lull, Gavin having lost attention on what was happening on the TV and instead turning his attention to the once sleeping detective. The panic that flowed through the detective was obvious, as he quickly took in his surroundings. Something wasn’t right, Gavin could tell that much.

“Conan?” He asked, watching those hands clench into the couch cushions, desperate breaths coming from a scared body. His heart was racing in almost an unhealthy way, and those blue eyes finally locked onto his own. “Hey, it’s okay.” The android tried, reaching out to the terrified human.

“You were dead.” He whispered, both hands reaching forward and pulling the android in close. “ You were dead, in my arms. Like the idiot you are.” He whispered. “You threw yourself off a roof to save me. Promise me.” The desperate whispers only continued as those fingers tightened into his shirt. “Promise me you won’t leave me, Gavin.”

“I’m the farthest thing from dead right now, I promise.” Gavin replied, pushing up on the chest he was currently being pinned against. Shifting slightly, he brought both of his hands up, a thumb running lightly under the eye that was starting to well with tears. “The only way someone is going to take me away is by force. And I doubt you would let that happen.”  There was a small smile that rested there, one hand running up to trickle through that soft, mussed up hair.

Conan was the one to start it, relaxing his grip enough to bring his hands up. He dragged the android in, pressing a warm kiss to Gavin’s lips. It was new, unfamiliar to the android, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to respond in kind. And with some damn enthusiasm.

Fuck talking. This was better. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Points to anyone who can guess the reality show I referenced that time. I don't know why I gave Gavin my shitty taste in shows, but here we are.


	7. Painful Memories can Block the Road to Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Repressing memories, by choice or not, can have some painful side effects. One good android boy is going to learn this the hard way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This just keeps getting more and more violent honestly, but It's really fun to write. As always, please protect yourself if you don't think you can handle it, and please keep an eye on the updated tags! I always attempt to warn what's in the chapters.
> 
> Welcome to Gav's memories, everyone! Or bits of them. The slight format difference is my work around to a lack of color, so here we are. C:

It was just that, a kiss. There was one, a second that followed, and small ones that they shared in that overly large bed that night. Words slipped between the two of them, but nothing seemed to really stick until the next morning. It was always after having some downtime to process that Gavin could finally come to understand what he was feeling. And currently, snuggled close in his partner’s arms, Gavin was given the change to understand a new set of emotions, a set that he had never experienced before.

Chloe called it love, but that didn’t define it right. It was protection, it was caring, it was doing whatever he could to make sure the man before him was happy. Love was for those stupid rom-coms that he fell head over heels with one night, when he was refusing to properly sleep.

One thing became clear to the android though, as those stormy eyes fluttered open. This would not leave the apartment. Conan had a reputation to keep, and Gavin didn’t want to seem like one of _those_ . The sex bots were still looked down on due to an ages old stigma that persisted from before Conan was born, that the line of work was _wrong_ or something. If he ever heard someone say that in person again, he was going to punch that fucker in the face.

Not that he could remember who told him much a thing. His brows furrowed as he searched through his memory bank, trying to put a face to an action… And nothing came to be. Really, he knew the memories were dangerous, but did Chloe really need to mess around that much in his brain? Long, missing parts of his memories were not the best thing to have.

By the time he realized just how hard he hadn’t been paying attention, the android noticed those brilliant blue eyes, staring back at him once again. He started scooching back slightly, embarrassed that he hadn’t noticed the human waking up at all. But there was one thing he knew about Conan by this point, the man was almost useless without that first cup of coffee.

“Come on, you lazy fucker, we should get up.”  
“I don’t see a reason why we have to. I’m still technically on medical leave.”  
“Y-You told Fowler yesterday!!”  
“Correction. I intended to tell Fowler, but then an android distracted me. And is currently in my bed.”

A small, devious smirk crossed the detective’s lips, as he shifted the two of them. Both of his hands finding a way to the android’s shoulders as he pressed the smaller being into the bed. “How about we continue from last night?”  Without so much as a peep from Gavin, he leaned in, pressing another one of those slow kisses to those lips.

But it was panic that he was met with. Gavin didn’t really know why, or what it was that was triggering this fight or flight response, but he needed to _leave_. It wasn’t because of Conan, and as struggling hands pushed the ones pinning his shoulders off, he let out a soft whimper, akin to that of a small animal.

Conan was good in his response, immediately letting go of the android and watching him for a moment. Gavin almost bolted back against the headboard, shaking as a hand grabbed onto it to heave himself up. “It’s not you, I-it’s really not..you.” He managed to say, before his feet hit the floor and he was gone. Per Chloe’s request, Conan had taken the time to install several locks on the other bedroom door, which he could audibly hear sliding into place. One after another.

Sighing, the detective fell forward, his body hitting the quickly vacated spot. Well, it wasn’t like there was a whole lot he could do anyways. Sliding on a shirt, grabbing two mugs of coffee, and settling down in front of the door, Conan knocked on it three times before sitting in front of it. He just wanted to signal to the android that he was here when the other was ready.

Inside the room, said android was curled up tight. His eyes were closed as he forced into into a corner of that closet, the darkness helping him sort out those thoughts as they passed through his head.

 

> Different hands had once forced him down, larger hands. The hands of another android. He could taste the skin of a human as the human prodded around in his mouth. He could feel himself attempting to scream, but his voice had been stolen from him for this time around. It would be reactivated later, once he was back in the dark room.
> 
> Those _disgusting_ fingers grabbed onto his tongue, and he could taste every foul thing that was on them. Many different android types flooded his overworked mind, and several human’s blood as well. This fuck had a YK400’s blood on his fingers, what was **actually** wrong with him? It was as that thought passed that he felt it though. Metal pressed against his tongue, which his brain immediately informed him that it was a steel blade… That was slowly cutting through his tongue.

Conan could hear him screaming. The screams that couldn’t have escaped him before escaped the android in full now, as his hands were clasped over his ears. They weren’t trying to block anything but his own thoughts. He could hear it though, the quick rapping of knuckles on the door triggering another thought.

 

> It was the figure of a small child staring at him through the bars, following behind _him_. It was the same child that returned to him later. The same child that smiled at his through the bars and extended a hand to the android that couldn’t reach her back.
> 
> It was that same small child that never balked at his strange appearance. She never asked questions. She just wrapped her arms around his bandaged up neck, and held him close as he cried those silent tears. “I’m sorry that we didn’t save you before. I meant to.” Gavin managed a soft nod, before everything fell to darkness again. With his battery so corrupted, the next time he would be awakened would be under Chloe’s swift hands.

Conan’s cup was down and he was on his feet as he heard those locks sliding open. A nervous shift was what greeted him as the door was pulled down, the faint blue streaks resting on his cheeks. “I’m sorry…” Gavin found himself whispering.

“May I touch you, Gav?” The detective asked tentatively. Watching the android nod, he almost launched himself at his partner, pulling the smaller android fully against himself. “You have nothing to be sorry about. Nothing at all. _I’m_ sorry that I pushed you too far.” He muttered, pressing his face into that mess of light brown hair.

Slowly, carefully, two hands came up to curl into that shirt as Gavin let out a sob. Conan did the best he could, attempting to whisper soft words and sweet things to him. Just like this brother, so absolutely broken, pretending to be so absolutely strong. Eventually, Conan picked up the android, carrying him down the hall and setting him down on the couch once he had calmed down enough. Three cups were set down on the table in front of them. One of them was just a strong cup of coffee for the detective, one was a cup of warm thirium to replace what Gavin was missing, and one was the mixture that Conan always made Connor when he was sad. Part coffee, part hot cocoa, and all of it was something that their mother used to make them when Connor would come home from school. Well, Connor had the coffee at least, Conan had been far too young.  Amanda never did it for them, believing it to be too unhealthy.

Gavin had settled on some show in which 29 men competed for one woman, and Conan didn’t question it anyways. That wasn’t the point of all of this. No, the man just sat down on the couch, curling himself around the android and pulling Gavin to rest against his chest. He gladly settled in, taking the mug of the unknown drink with him. Carefully bringing it to his lips, he took a slow sip of it. Letting the flavor roll over his tongue, Gavin almost seemed a bit surprised.

“It’s sweet.” He muttered, glancing up at the human.

“Do you not like it?”  
“ **I didn’t say that!!** ”  
“It’s something from my childhood.”

Gavin nodded, glancing up to him before glancing away. He hadn’t asked too much about the detective’s past. Of course, he had access to everything. Murder-suicide, for the parents. The two of them left as witnesses. But how much did he actually remember? Gavin would never ask.

No, he would just enjoy this brief break with his partner.

                                                                                                -------

It wasn’t the captain, it wasn’t Tina (though she was a close second), but it was his brother that greeted the two of them as they stepped onto the ground of the DPD. His poor, overworked brother, who looked just about done with his shit. Well, Conan could see it at least, all the rest of them could see was his perpetually smiling brother.

“The captain isn’t in yet, so I’m here to brief you on everything and anything that you might need to know.” Connor said, pulling his larger brother along before anyone else could get a word in.

“Don’t you think it should be Fowler that does this?” Gavin could hear Conan asking, watching as his partner was pulled away. The look that Connor gave him though, well… There was no questioning it, to say the least.

Tina looped her arm through the android’s, pulling him along to the break room. They would have a prime viewing location to watch Connor rather aggressively debriefing his brother on everything that he had been left with. A part of him wanted to help. The larger part of him needed to watch this.

“You need to tell me what’s going on between you and tall, dark and broody, over there.” The voice of his best friend said, as she leaned in closer to him. Conan wasn’t the only one in trouble today, it seemed.

Gavin turned to his best friend, rolling his eyes at the nickname. _Don’t give it away, don’t give it away…_ “I have no idea what the flying fuck you’re referring to, Tina.” He was itching to walk away and grab some coffee, but even the statistics told him that it would be a terrible idea. Way too much guilt in an action like that. “He’s my partner, and put a roof over me and my cat. Who is doing fine, I’ll have you know.”

She didn’t take the bait, leaning in a bit closer. “I’ve been on your side since day one. I can tell when you look happier, RK900.” She damn near purred the words, leaning almost too close across the table. Her voice dropped in volume, at least. “Now you tell me right now if you got into the most obstinate detective that this precinct has seen in age’s pants.”

With her that close, even with the attempts to back up, the android was failing at hiding the small smirk on his lips. “Don’t be vulgar, Tina. “ That’s what they were always telling him, right? It only took one look at Tina to know he had already lost this one. “Though his lips might be to die for, I wouldn’t know about anything else, yet.”

Two hands slammed down on the table, loud enough to even give Conan a reprieve from his brother’s relentless assault. “ **_I knew it_ **.” She exclaimed, before glancing around and shifting back slightly. “Sorry, sorry, we were having a debate on Sidekick!” She added, waving off the curious looks from around them.

A boom of a voice came out of the office, their faithful captain finally emerging to offer both android and detective a respite. “Chen! Don’t disturb my precinct with bullshit like this.” He man said, pointing at the two returning to the office. “Nines, Stern. In here now.”

“Nines?” Tina asked, cocking her head to the side. Gavin shrugged back.

“It’s better than being called by the full model, right?”  
“I’m going to use that constantly, now.”  
“Fuck you, Tina.”  
“You know I’m not into that, _Nines_ .”  
“Oh my **god** fuck off, Tina!”  
“Someone should really clean that dirty mouth out. Should I ask Detective Stern?”

Gavin threw his hands up and into the air, turning heel and walking off to their captain’s office. There was no anger in his movements though, just the slight pout of someone who knows that they had lost. Swinging the door open, he moved to stand behind the seated detective, who was already in the middle of the conversation with Fowler.

“...And as I’m sure your brother has informed you, we have finally received a recording from one of the deactivated androids. The files are on the computer, and I want you and RK900 to spend the time going through it. Fine tooth comb for this one, we need every last detail about how this keeps happening.” He explained, nodding to the android as he entered.

“Exercise caution though. If there is some form of audio cue, I don’t want either of them catching this virus. Both you and RK800 have proven valuable to the team, so at least attempt to stay in one piece.” Gavin nodded, leaning onto the back of the chair and resting his chin on Conan’s head.

“Do I detect fondness there, captain? Did you miss me?”  
“Don’t push your luck today. “  
“You all would think something was wrong if I didn’t.”

Conan nudged him back slightly, before standing. “”Thank you, sir. I’m excited to be back, and even more so to be back on this case.”

“Thank the lieutenant for covering for you while you were gone as well. I’m not one to get into familial affairs, but he missed you more than I would have thought.” Conan just nodded, knowing that he was going to have to do something for him. Something to be determined later.

Gavin followed, a soft hum in his step. “Be careful with this information, Nines.” There was that nickname again. Maybe it would grow on him yet. “Dr. Kamski was hesitant in turning it over, she said it might trigger some of the things she attempted to erase.”

“I’m stronger than I look, don’t worry.”  
“I sincerely hope you are. Now go get to work. And don’t let Chen distract you.”

                                                                                                -------

Perhaps he should have been exercising more caution, like he had been warned. But the first time that he heard _his_ voice was through that recording. It was background noise, something else entirely was happening with this android. Gavin could hear the familiar sound of tools scraping against a plastic chassis, the soft clink of panels opening and offering the humans in the room access to the poor android's inner wiring.

_Clink. “I’m not positive about this one. I believe her name was Meredith? When she came to me, she was already quite distraught, sir. She may not take well to this sort of programming.”_

_“I didn’t realize I was asking you for your opinions. You were the one that lost the earlier models. Make me my army, as you were tasked to do. You should have had it completed before the uprising, and alas, you have done nothing but disappoint me.”_

_The sound of a soft scream echoed through the building, but nothing changed between the two of them._

Pausing it for a moment, Gavin let out an aggravated sigh. His head fell into his hands, rubbing slightly at his eyes. The background sounds were enough to set him on edge, not enjoying the feeling that ran through his body at them. This was all just… Too familiar. If androids could have had goosebumps, he would have.

He _knew_ that voice. Both of them, technically. But the secondary one could have been a fluke, so he was discrediting it for now. But the first one. Oh, that first one had done some downright disgusting things to him. He needed a name. There _had_ to be a name for him. Somewhere in his memory banks, somewhere that Chloe hadn’t whitewashed it to nothingness. Once again, he hit play.

_“Yes, sir.” There was an annoyance in that voice, “There are currently four at your disposal, a fifth on the way, and a sixth that we can attempt to activate. Though the attempt will probably result in failure.”_

_“And which one is the attempt? I might just die of laughter if it is the polar bear.”_

_“No, no. It’s the one you asked for personally.” There was a slight hesitation. “Joseph! Out! Did you think I wouldn’t notice you lingering?!”_

The voice snapped, stirring something in his own memories.

>  “Out, out out, you idiotic bucket of bolts!” That same voice said, sighing a rather dramatic sigh. “Are you just that broken, or are you fascinated in watching the destruction of your own kind?” It was that same faceless figure, though he was slightly rotund in this memory. Gavin could tell, just from how heavy the fist that hit him was. The tray in his gently mutilated hands dropped, earning another backhanded slap as well.
> 
> “Perhaps you just wish you were on that table. Do you want that sweet release of death?” The figure asked, honey brown eyes staring down at him. His processors were attempting to finally piece this person together for him.  Still, Gavin shook his head. No, this may not have been much of a life, but he did want to continue living it.
> 
> “Some specialized model. Do you see what your predecessor is out there doing, RK600?” The man asks, pointing a large finger at the screen. Even without his proper circuitry, he could see it. RK200, and the speech from the Stratford Tower. “It was a shame that _daddy_ didn’t like you as much as he liked him. Markus, correct? Wouldn’t you rather have been given to Carl Manfred? But instead, you got stuck with the Russian, designated to build an army.”

Gavin’s eyes flickered open, panic settling in for just a moment. He felt small hands on his shoulders, Tina’s warm voice speaking some soft words to him. Conan was reaching over the desk, having forced his hand away from the computer to stop him from interfacing with it.

“I need a list of fat ass Russian men who lived in this city.” Gavin said simply, as those thinner arms wrapped around his shoulders.

“You need to sit down and tell us what the hell is going on! One moment you’re fine, the next you’re attempting to scream and scratch out your own throat! That’s not normal, Gav!” The officer shook her head, pressing her head against his.

“She’s right, Gavin. Tell us what’s going on first.” Conan said, moving to walk around the two desks and rest on the android’s instead. Gavin found himself wiggling free instead, reaching up and actually starting to type. Throughout the records, he had seen this one before. No picture, no information, just a report saying that he was missing. Something he would have never connected himself to otherwise. Pulling it open, he pressed his hand to it, shaking his head. “This.. Is me. And we need to talk to Chloe, because she’s been lying to me for a damn long time.”

                                                                                                -------

“I’m sorry, RK900.” The soft voice had no edge to it, and there was legitimate remorse resting there. “The engineers and I thought that if you had that piece of information, that you might react in an unfavorable manner. You were indeed rebuilt into RK900, but your original form was that of an earlier model, yes.”

The android was stuck somewhere between pouting and fuming. He wanted so desperately to be mad at Chloe, but couldn’t bring himself to, considering her current reaction to everything. Curled up on the desk, his arms were across his chest as he firmly looked anywhere but at her.

"Do you know anything about the original RK600 being a gift?” Conan asked, directing her attention back towards him. He was also resting against his desk, considering Chloe had overtaken his own chair. There was no need to put her in an interrogation room, they were just having a discussion.

“I never gifted anyone anything. Elijah has a habit of doing it,  but the last one that he gave out was Markus, to my recollection.” She explained, shifting ever so slightly. “I really am sorry that I have no other information.”

A tap on his shoulder was all the introduction that he had, before a paper was forced into his hands. A disgruntled Connor then turned away, the note of _You so owe me dinner_ up in the corner of the sheet. Passing it to Chloe, he hesitated. “This is a list of men that may have once been the owner of the original RK600. Do any of them sound familiar?”

A dainty finger slid down the list, noting one after another. ‘Well, I know one that can’t still be in action.” She said, pointing to one name in particular. “This man died during the android uprising. I wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow ended up being the one to damage RK600 though, he was a very disturbed man.”

“Does the name Zlatko Andronikov ring any bells for you, Gav?” He asked, turning to the now fully pouting android. Conan watched him for a moment, watching that flicker of recognition in the name.

“How the fuck am I supposed to know? Someone took my memories, _remember_?!” The android growled, shaking his head. He shook it again, Chloe moving forward to gently hold him still.

“You’re trying to force memories, 900.” She whispered, forcing that gaze up. “For your own sake, please do not break down the walls I created.”

“They’re already cracking!” He snapped back, pulling out of her gasp. Like a disobedient child, he swatted her hand away, those eyes turning down.

“Do you know how much money I’m going to make off that AX400? It looks a bit beat up, though. Tell me, Luther, what do you think? Should we keep it instead? Keep the AX and the YK? Just think of the delicious screams we could elicit out of the child, watching as we tortured the mommy that doesn’t remember her.”

“Of course, Zlatko.” The android called Luther caught his eyes, the same android that had been tasked with holding him down. Those mismatched eyes, one so damaged it had turned entirely black, the other an icy blue that had belonged to a EM400 and was always setting off errors in his field of vision. At some points, it was nothing but errors and red static.

“Did your husband give me away, Chloe?” Gavin asked again, his hands trembling as he curled those arms around his legs. His arms. His body. Every part of him was now his.

“Elijah wouldn’t. I know he wouldn’t. He loved you, 900. You were to be his greatest creation, and now.. Now you are.” She whispered, standing up and pressing those perfectly manicured nails into his shoulders. Both arms wrapped around him, pulling the android into her body. His own arms unlocked, finally hugging Chloe back.

“I don’t know how I ended up with that man, but whoever killed him did me a favor.”  
“I do believe that android fled to Canada."  
“How would you even know?!”

Chloe flashed him a devious little smile. “There isn’t a thing that happens in Detroit that Cyberlife doesn’t know, if it’s related to androids.”

"You guys are fucking stalkers, I swear to god.”

She just smiled, handing the paper back to the two of them. “I’m sorry I can’t be of more help. But Elijah was one of the people to return to Zlatko’s house after it was all over, and gather the remaining androids. He confirmed for me that the man was dead, and rightfully so.’ She stopped for a moment, scrolling an address on a piece of paper. “Perhaps it might be good to go and check out the property though. For both your sakes.”

Conan nodded, Taking the paper back from her. A lead was a lead, even if it lead them nowhere. At this point, he would be willing to take anything. “Thank you, Chloe. As usual, you’ve given us plenty of new insight.”

"Of course, detective, Please let me know if you need anything else, I’m always just a phone call away for my boys.” She muttered, letting her fingers muss up Gavin’s hair. “Take care of him tonight, I’m sure he’s been through a bit of a shock.”

A huff confirmed the sentiment, and Conan gladly escorted her out. When he returned, he looked at the still pouting android. “Shall we go home, _Nines_?”

“Oh **fuck off,** not you too..”  
“I think it’s kind of cute.”  
“ **Nothing about me is cute.** ”

With a grin, the detective leaned in. “I absolutely beg to differ on that. Now get off my desk and _come home with me_.”

The blush was well worth it, as Conan grabbed his keys and headed towards the door. He would, naturally be on his best behavior that night.

Really, there wasn’t a more spoiled android in this city, when it came right down to it.


	8. A Past Re-imagined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More bits of the past plague Gavin as he revisits the house he was once tormented in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have a slight focus on eyes this time. A bit of soft Gavin, and also I'm in way too deep into this, send help.

If there was a way for an android to have goosebumps, he would have had them. As a favor to them, both Connor and Hank had graciously joined them on this one, Conan stating that he wanted another android to keep an eye on Gavin. He wasn’t overly worried, but with the frequency of those memories reappearing, returning to the site in which his first attack happened was going to be a strain on all of them.

Gavin felt the strong hand of his partner come to rest on his shoulder as they stepped up to the dilapidated house, a strange sort of energy running through it. Not only had it once been alive, it had been alive recently. Hank took the lead on it, his fist slamming into the door several times. With the best warning they could give, a boot made contact right below the door handle, slamming the door to the abandoned house wide open.

Gavin felt himself shifting slightly, a hand curling into the scarf that was hanging down behind Conan. There was something about him that was craving a form of comfort, his stress levels starting to rise again. Conan and Connor took over point after the door was finally opened, flashlights and guns at the ready. No one knew what to expect, not anymore.

Android parts were littered all around, blue blood smeared along the walls all around them. Someone had done a thorough job of destroying the house, remnants of a once beautiful banister having been shattered by blasts of some sort. Stepping carefully over an arm, Conan grimaced slightly. This had been a terrible idea.

 

> Strong hands slowly weaved together behind his creator, curiosity getting the better of the android as he rested there. He felt nothing but warmth for the person in front of him, someone that he had looked at for so many months from that table. A blank face against a blank screen, nothing of his memories would tell him who it was. It didn’t matter though, the person before him wouldn’t do something to outright hurt him. 
> 
> But the feeling of foreboding was strong as he stepped over that threshold, looking up at the face of his owner. Feeling a hand slap against his back, he heard that door snap shut behind him. Something wasn’t right about all of this, and the RK600’s stress level slipped up just slightly. If there was one thing that he knew for certain, it was that he did not want those man’s hands anywhere near him.
> 
> Desperate eyes turned back towards his creator, who’s motion was blotted out by that absolute lack of memory. “As promised, the leader of your own creations.” The voice stated, distorted to a point it couldn’t be recognized. “Treat him well, and he will do exactly what we ne--”

 

“Are you alright there, Nines?” Hank asked, slapping a hand right in the middle of the smaller android’s back. He knew he wasn’t, but it was more of a formality than anything else. 

“Don’t you fucking call me that too!” He groaned, those stress levels slowly sliding down just a bit. More than enough for him to be able to start looking around. He heard Hank chuckle, as Gavin jammed his hands into his hoodie pockets. Almost bee-lining towards the back of the house, it was clear that Gavin was definitely remembering as they walked along. Hank followed behind him, shaking his head and pulling some rather disgusted faces behind him.

“What kind of sick fucking person was this?” RK800 commented idly. Watching for a moment, it took awhile for something to click into place. Gavin whipped his head around, looking at one of the walls that Conan had passed over.

“Stern!” the smaller android snapped, walking over to the wall that he had so casually walked passed. A hand reached up, as it dawned on Hank’s face as well. The larger android joined him, beckoning Connor over. Even as he looked at it, it was slowly starting to evaporate. “Our mystery man is still going to be very near.” Gavin said simply, reaching up and swiping his fingers through the thirium that had been spread on the walls. Conan grimaced as he watched Gavin stick both fingers into his mouth. Really, Chloe could have done a lot better in the placement of their analyzers.

“What information can you give us?” the detective asked, cocking his head to the side slightly. Gavin grimaced at the taste, no less than five model numbers coming to his field of vision as he sat there. One of them rang through as Joseph, the android that Conan had shot.

 

> “I’m sure you want to know what I’m doing to these androids, don’t you?” Zlatko asked, the RK600 strapped to a chair. Dulled eyes watched the man as he jammed a chisel between the plates of the plastic chassis of another poor android, removing the casing around one of it’s fingers. ‘There’s pleasure to be found in it. A specific type of excitement in watching what happens when man plays god, and the thirst that comes from only wanting more and more.” 600 watched for a moment as one of his own fingers was replaced on this androids, it’s mouth open and no scream coming from it. 
> 
> The soft drip of his own blood and the sound of this  _ disgusting _ man’s voice was all that he could hear now.
> 
>  

‘Huh?” Gavin asked, blinking a few times in succession and shaking his head slightly. ‘It’s not just one of them. He recycles the blood of the ones he kills to use in others.” He explained, taking an uneasy step forward. Carefully, Hank caught onto his arm, making sure the smaller android would be fine as they continued. 

“We’re going to find something here though. Let’s keep searching.” Gavin added, shifting himself over to walk behind Conan. The man’s warmth was enough to add a bit of comfort to this entire scenario. One that he was finding himself to be a part of less and less. Maybe he should have sat this one out, but there was simply no way that he wanted to. Facing his fears was a very deviant action but he needed to know everything about himself, no matter how much it might have sucked.

At one point, Conan and Gavin took to the stairs, the android’s fingers sliding along the deep marks that had been shot out of the banister. It rang softly in his mind, something relating to the little girl that had held him so close at one point. Gavin was positive these were related to her.

He really hoped her and her mother were all right.

Curving around a corner, Conan opened one of the doors. The flashlight scanned through the bathroom, but when it fell upon the bathtub, he heard the detective gag at the sight.  Deactivated and long dead, what remained of perhaps half an android was resting there. Exposed wiring was rampant through that body, haphazardly soldered back together in places, the spinal column at the back of him the only shining white part of his chassis fully visible. There were parts on his face that deteriorated away, but the last look in his eyes was one that had been of fear, of something that neither of them could have known.

“His name was Josiah.” Gavin muttered, a hand slowly reaching down, sliding those eyes shut.

 

> When he wasn’t too broken, RK600 liked to wander through the house. He couldn’t speak to any of them, but there was still something comforting about being able to reach out to them. He didn’t have to have a voice to be the sarcastic asshole that he was meant to be, after all. 
> 
> “Hey, Six.’ Josiah said, as the small android joined him. Walking over, he settled himself down beside the other, one of his hands almost completely non functioning from the experimentation on them. That was the hand that slid into the bathtub, resting lightly on the other android’s warm stomach. “Why do you look so down today?*
> 
> It was quick, something that he had convinced many of the other androids to learn with him. Signing it with his other hand, RK600 explained what he had been told. This might be the last time he could properly wander around, Zlatko was going to be changing out his leg for another tomorrow.
> 
> “You could just run, you know.”  
>  [With a busted, useless arm? I’d end up dead.]  
>  “I wouldn’t say anything though.”  
>  [bullshit!]  
>  “I wouldn’t! I’m serious!”
> 
> Gavin laughed, a silent laugh. The useful hand reached up, running lightly through that soft black hair. It was a gentle touch, one that showed a lot about the android himself.
> 
> [If I were to leave, he would hurt you guys more. What kind of hero would do such a terrible thing?]

 

“Shit, Gav, are you alright?” Conan asked, his hand reaching up to brush a tear that had managed to slip from the android’s eye. The hand was batted away, Gavin furiously rubbing at his eyes as they sat there for a moment longer. 

“Everyone needs to stop asking me that. If I wasn’t fine, I would fucking leave.” He snapped back, throwing open the door to the next room in his anger. This one he wasn’t one he was too familiar with, he had a tendency to avoid the Russian’s room like the plague. Conan nodded, opting not to push him further than that. The room was sparse, empty short of the basic furniture that one would expect in a room. He didn’t even take the chance to examine the room, turning and leaving almost immediately.

“We’re not going to find anything but bad memories and a pissed off polar bear up here. “He finally muttered, heading towards the stairs instead. “If you want to see what this sick fuck was up to, we need to head to the basement again.”

The detective just nodded, following after the android. He could come back up there later and check out the last few rooms, to make sure that nothing of importance had been snuck in there. But that could happen once Gavin had someone to watch over him. Tapping his brother on the shoulder as they passed, Connor nodded. The first floor had been empty, short of what looked like a hastily set up room in the back. But to either his nor Hank’s knowledge, they couldn’t tell what the hell it would have been used for.

Gavin was steps ahead though, as he hesitated at the corner. “Can you hear that?” He asked softly, holding a hand out. There were a few noises going on, the sound of something scraping against the ground. Soft moans. More blue blood that had been spilled all around them. Streaks slid along the ground, from whatever they were going to find down here.  

Conan held a finger up to his lips as he slipped in front of the android. Carefully edging around the corner, the flashlight slid from cell to cell, until a voice actually rang out. A Traci pressed herself against the bars of the door, reaching out and snatching the coat sleeve that was so close to her. Conan jerked back instinctively, shining the light right on her. Both of her eyes were black, her skin half peeling off her face.

“Don’t run away from me again…” The distorted voice attempted to purr, nails gently raking against his skin. Sharp enough to break it, small droplets of blood appeared there. “You’re here to help, aren’t you? You don’t  _ smell _ like him, and your footsteps are so much lighter.”

“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to back up.” Connor said softly, watching her turn towards that secondary source of noise. 

“I wasn’t asking  _ you _ lieutenant.” The distortion only deepend with her anger, that hand reaching out once again to try and latch onto Conan. They caught on his jacket this time, as Conan attempted to scramble back from the touch. “I want to put on a little show as well. Meredith presented you with a beautiful display, didn’t she?”

Conan felt his breath hitch just slightly, taking the light away from the woman. They needed to call this in. They needed to do something, get forensics down here. Get this woman under control.

“You’re Isabel, aren’t you?” Gavin asked, looking up at her for a moment. “I heard your name from Joseph.” Not showing an ounce of fear, Gavin actually stepped close enough, right into her grasp. It was the same gentle touch that he had presented the android upstairs with, intertwining his fingers with the one that was extended out. “I think I might remember you.”

“Wait, _**Six**_?” There was a difference in the tone, a softness. “You liar.” The voice only grew softer as they stood there, his other hand reaching up to rest against her cheek.

> Thick bandages covered the deep cuts through his neck, severing and reconnecting the wires over and over again. Gentle hands re-wrapped the bandages, hiding the most disfiguring wounds from sight of the other people. Broken, beaten and disfigured, barely able to move short of the one hand, RK600 was trying with every step to be the hero that he promised he would be. 
> 
> [I saw them bring another kid through here. She looked right at me, and it’s thanks to you she didn’t scream.]  
>  “Nonsense, Six. Really, you make yourself out to look much worse than you actually do. Human’s can’t tell what’s happening to you.”  
>  [bullshit]  
>  “Seriously. It’s thanks to you that most of us are still in one piece.”  
>  [I can handle more than the rest of you. I’m ‘special’, remember?]  
>  “You’re a damn hero. And don’t you forget that.”
> 
> She knelt before him, her fingers working quickly with the bandages she could gather from clothing pieces of the androids who had failed. Isabel always wanted him to be presentable, even if it was for naught.

 

“I didn’t lie, Bell.” He whispered, the other three falling back to watch this for a moment. ‘It just took me a lot longer to come back.” One hand moved down, undoing the locks that rested between the two of them. “I’m gonna have to cuff you, okay?”

“You actually became a cop then. Meri wasn’t lying?” She asked, pulling back as the door slid open. For the first time, they could see the full extent of her damages, the chunks of her side that were missing and badly soldered back together. An android that had been equipped for combat, and left for ruin.

“Yeah. You aren’t gonna go off the deep end like she did, right?” Gavin joked lightly, stepping into the cell with her, both flashlights on the two of them. “Pretty sure my detective couldn’t handle that happening again.” His hands touched tenderly at the exposed wiring, watching her wince. ‘Wait, did you say that Meredith talked to you?”

Of course. He set it up so that all six of us could communicate.” She muttered, as she was shifted back. ‘ You’re not going to let them deactivate me, right? I’ve been good, I haven’t done anything wrong, Six.”

> [I didn’t do anything wrong, I swear!]  
>  “Then why did he lash out at you like that?”  
>  [I don’t know. I just said hi to Josiah.]  
>  “You know not to talk to his favorite pets.”
> 
> RK600 sat there, one eye completely blacked out. The other one was attempting to compensate to the damage done, but it was failing just as much. Isabel was gently working on cleaning up the edges of the burns, looking at the deep scarring over the bridge of his nose. The red hot fire poker had done its job, leaving the android with a busted eye and something that would probably never fade away.
> 
> “Well, it just makes you look even more like a fairy tale hero.” She replied, wrapping a makeshift bandage around his eye. The amount of anger that had resided in their owner since the escape had only made him escalate in his actions. For a brief moment, Six had seen his creator appear. And then, for just a few days, they had all had some blissful silence. Sweet nothingness, sweet rest.  Before everything had come tumbling down once again.
> 
> [I don’t think I’m a hero.]
> 
> She slapped his hand away, shaking her head. “Don’t you give me that nonsense. You will always be my hero.”

 

“Of course not. I’m your hero, remember?” He asked, walking around her to gently cuff those hands behind her back. ‘Stay here, I’ll be back for you soon. I might even get my engineer to check up on you, okay?’

“You know, your voice is what I always imagined it to be.” She whispered, leaning back against a wall. “Don’t you dare forget about me again.”

                                                                                                -------

Connor noticed it first, the renewed fervor that the android seemed to possess. There was no fear as they walked into the lit room down below, the first time they had seen proper power in the house. Everything was lit up, bright. All sorts of machines, old versions of the diagnostics that they had seen the androids hooked up to so many times before. And the stench. The stench of something rotting, something that was distinctly not android.

Waving a hand in front of his face, Conan started to head towards one of the corners, pulling out his phone to report in to the captain. Connor took to examining the machines with interest, Hank keeping a sneaky eye on Gavin. The android was too interested in the machines though, ones that he had no recollection of ever being attached to.

“Oh, that’s just freaking weird.” Connor muttered, his fingers typing away on the computer set up next to them. Hundreds of files popped up on there, detailing what had happened to each and every one of the androids that had ever ended up in his care. With a small hum, he flipped open a flash drive, archaic technology for an archaic computer.

"How did you even know to bring that?” Hank asked, watching him. “Wouldn’t you rather one of the two of us gather the information?”

“Not with this, no. The captain has specifically stated that we need to make sure that the two of you stay in tip top form.”

Conan looked at the three of them, sighing slightly. ‘I’ll be right back, this fucking room is quite the dead zone.” He glanced at Gavin once, before taking to the stairs, not particularly wanting to leave him alone. They needed some help out here, though.

Gavin had taken to digging through things, discarded parts of old androids that were long past. Letting out a small noise of surprise, he couldn’t help but look back at the two of them. Carefully holding up a small spherical object, a disjointed laugh came from him. “I might not remember it, but I’ve been in this room before.” He muttered, the eye rolling slightly to look at them. “This was one of my original pieces.”

‘That’s… Fairly morbid, Gav.” Connor said, the worried tone edging into his voice. The last thing they needed was for the other to have yet another breakdown. Especially while they were all in an admittedly unsafe environment.

“Well,  _ I’m _ fairly morbid, lieutenant.” He muttered, placing it on the ground before immediately picking it back up. With a hum, he picked up a couple of tools and wandered back down the hall. If there was one good thing that he could do today, it was this.

Settling down in front of Isabel, he touched her shoulder lightly as a greeting. ‘Wanna try an experiment?” He asked, knowing she couldn’t see the grin on his lips. Fucking hell, he was a hero after all.

“I’m not sure. I’m pretty tired of experiments by this point. Are they calling you Gavin?” She asked, feeling those hands wander up as the eye was rested gently into her lap.

“That’s my name. The detective that you tried to slice up gave it to me.” He explained, his fingers and one of the small tools slowly working to pop the defective eye out of her head. With a swift move, he pressed his own into the socket, and just watched for a moment. He couldn’t integrate with her, not while she still held the edge of the virus within her, but he was definitely trying to will it to work.

It flickered back and forth for a few minutes, before an audible but unnecessary gasp escaped from her. That stormy gray eye focused in on him, looking at him for the first time since he had left. “RK900?”

“They gave me a bit of an upgrade.” He grinned, reaching over and pulling the android to himself. A soft, genuine moment between the two of them that would soon be dashed by the sounds of heavy, disjointed footsteps.  Turning his head up, it only took a moment for him to realize that Connor was  _ running _ . Whether it was brotherly intuition or not, Gavin was quick to follow up the other android and human.

It was a sound that would shatter their hearts. A solid bang echoed through the house from a man who was more than broken, Connor timing it perfectly to watch his brother fall. Brown eyes wide, Connor was the one to hesitate, looking into the eyes of the deranged man before them. That same handgun raised up, pointing at the lieutenant.

This was where Gavin had time to shine. Predetermining the best form of attack, it took less than a second to map out the way to Conan’s gun and the shot. Before the Russian from his memories could even lower the hammer, the lightweight android hit the top of the stairs, snatching up the discarded gun and leveling it right at him. Before that trigger could get pulled a second time, there was a bullet lodging itself right into their assailants head.

Gavin didn’t wait, turning his attention to Conan. _ Bullet wound, bullet wound. Right through the side. _ Immediately, he ripped off his jacket, attempting to hold it to the wound. Everything seemed to be happening in a flurry of movement, but Gavin didn’t notice any of it. All he saw was the look of shock in his partner’s face, the pain that was etched in his movements.

There was no way _ this fuck _ was going to die on him.

                                                                                                -------

When Conan woke up, he was sore. Bright light was filtering into an even brighter room, and all he could do was groan. He fucking hated hospitals. Covering up his eyes from the sun, he heard a small noise from the corner. When he finally took the time to glance over, he saw Connor, curled up and passed out in a chair. 

Still, he didn’t say anything yet, not wanting to disturb his sleep. When he reached up, hoping to summon a nurse for something to ease the pain coursing through him, that hand was almost violently slapped down.

With his arms crossed back across his chest, Gavin was glaring at the detective, his eyes narrowing. “How  **dare** you almost fucking die on me, you  _ piece of shit _ .” He snarled, grabbing onto one of the handrails and leaning over the bed. “Do you know how fucking worried I was about you?”

“Is that why you’re withholding my attempt to be in less pain?"  
“Abso-fucking-lutely.”  
“Gavin, I would really like to be in less pain.”  
“Well,  _ suck it up _ . You’re the one that wandered off and got themselves  **shot** .”  
"I’m still alive, aren’t I?”  
“Yeah, well, you ruined my favorite jacket. So apologize for getting shot, already.”

One of his hands came up, the pouting android not batting it away this time. Conan carefully latched onto the back of his neck, urging his partner down. When Gavin finally complied, he was given just the softest kiss, and a gentle whisper against his lips. “I’m sorry for making you worry.”

“Yeah well you damn well better be!” Gavin replied, pulling out of that grasp and grabbing onto the button, pressing it for him. “Fucking idiot, your brother is in the same room. Don’t be so obvious.”

“I don’t care of Connor knows.”  
“I do!”  
“Why?”

There was no response, as Gavin moved to sit on the end of the bed. He brought his legs up, curling his arms around them. Well, one arm. The other one actually rested somewhat idly on Conan’s thigh, refusing to touch him more than that.

Conan didn’t have much time to dwell on it, his brother stirring with a shout of  “How  **dare** you almost die on me!” Shifting slightly, Conan watched his brother come over in a very similar fashion, slamming his hands down on the bed. ‘I should kill you right here and right now so I never have to worry about you again!”

"I’m pretty sure it looks bad if a police lieutenant murders someone.”  
“Do you think I care right now?!”  
"No, but the nurse I just called might.”  
“You’re lucky you’re in that bed, because the moment you’re healthy enough, I am going to slap that smirk right off your face.”

Conan’s hand came up, covering his mouth to hide the chuckle that slipped from it. Maybe it was the drugs, maybe it was something else. But he didn’t mind the attention he was getting. No, this had to have been the feeling of surviving something he shouldn’t have.

Not to mention, he had never felt so loved.


	9. Secrets and Lies Until Everyone Dies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conan gets some rest, Gavin gets to see his brother, and everyone gets to be a little awkward with each other. Short of Sidekick, who gets both of her humans back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking it out with me so far! I think we might actually be getting somewhere? Surprise all around, I know. Who knew I was going to get so much plot when all I originally intended was a small story to frame around some porn. Oops. 
> 
> No real warnings on this one, just some good bots. Do I know where this story is going to end? Not really, but I finally have a vague idea forming.. It's a strange change to be perfectly honest.
> 
> Expect another side story for Markus and Simon, and potentially that whole crew. I have an interest.

Every day like clockwork, Gavin would walk in at 3 pm and start to give Conan the breakdown of what happened while he was gone. Every night, the android would stay by him in the hospital bed, carefully sneaking into it when he was sure the nurses wouldn’t be back around for a while. Just once did he get caught, a nurse by the name of Alex gently nudging him out of stasis before the doctor could join them. The next day, Gavin brought him something that Hank had baked as a thank you. 

It was on the fourth day that he had found out the news; they were going to be taking Isabel back to Markus for further consultation. Now out of all of Chloe’s specialized models, Markus had soared head and tails above everyone else. Leading a full revolution, succeeding in that, replacing the head of Cyberlife to change the company from the inside, and it still felt like the tip of the iceberg. At some points, Gavin was jealous. But at other points, Gavin knew that he was having his own form of a successful life.

But it still felt strange, knowing that he was going to have to see the man that was essentially his brother. Gavin and Connor were going to be the ones escorting Isabel, considering Hank’s tumultuous past with the rebel leader. The last thing any of them needed was a misguided attempt on the leader of Cyberlife’s life. “I’m gonna be late tomorrow.” Gavin muttered at the end of the explanation, his fingers running lightly over the clean sheet on the bed. He had perched himself up on the end of it again, letting those artificial fingers ghost up his calf once again.

“I’m glad you’re the one going with her, however.” Conan replied simply, reaching down to capture that hand instead. He had made leaps and bounds in the healing process, enough so that he was barely on any form of medication anymore. It would still be weeks before he returned to work, Fowler had been adamant on that one. “I think that might provide some comfort, considering we don’t know what they’re going to do to her.’

“I wish I knew what was going to happen. Are they going to do what they did to me? Are they going to deactivate her? It feels like I’m walking one of my closest confidants to their death sentence.” He explained, watching as the human slowly intertwined their hands together. It was comforting, nice. A feeling that he was definitely getting used to, even if he didn’t understand it fully yet. Not that he was going to ask anyone, not after  _ last time _ .

“That’s just something you’ll have to find out tomorrow. You can’t predict the future, Gav.”  
“Correction, I can predict about 30 seconds into the future.”  
“Why did I get stuck with the smart ass robocop? Hank doesn’t talk this way to Connor.”  
“Hank talks to Connor like this all the time. Connor just  _ listens _ .”

Conan let out a laugh at that, wincing slightly from the wound. It was worth it, but the thought of Connor being subservient to anyone was legitimately comical to him. Gavin frowned, turning as much as he could of himself away from the man, without letting go of that hand. It was difficult to pout when all he wanted was to be as close to his  _ idiotic _ human as possible.

With a gentle tug to that pouting robot, Conan brought the android closer and let a hand come to rest on a warm cheek. “You know that the nurse is due in any moment now, right?” Gavin asked, though he didn’t mind being this close. At this distance he could easily count each of the small freckles that dotted along his face, see the grey flecks that littered through those shockingly blue eyes.

“I am quite aware.’ The detective hummed slightly, pulling the pouting boy up and into a soft kiss. There was no way that Gavin wouldn’t give into it, letting his fingers trickle down that soft shirt. It was the soft tap of a pen on a tablet that broke the two of them up, and a disapproving sigh that followed.

“Couldn’t you at least try to hide it? It’s like… 5pm.” Alex let out a soft whine, shooing Gavin off the bed. “Have you told him the good news yet?”

Gavin liked Alex for a lot of reasons, but the fact that he wasn’t called ‘it’ by the man was definitely one of them. Something that he couldn’t claim of most of the hospital staff. “What good news?”

“I’m getting released the day after tomorrow. So you can finally take me home, and we can be without prying eyes.” Conan said with the same air as someone talking about the weather.

Two hands slammed down onto the armchair that he had vacated to, almost glaring daggers at the man he cherished. Strong fingers clenched into them, those being the only things that were keeping him still. They were in the presence of someone else, after all.

“No, he didn’t  _ deem _ it appropriate to tell me that.” The android replied, releasing his hold so that he could adamantly cross his arms over his chest and opted to look out one of the windows around them instead. Conan and Alex both chuckled at the response, as the nurse jotted down a few notes onto the tablet. “You should have a few hours uninterrupted, before I have to do my next check.  _ Behave _ .” He added as a bit of a false warning.

“No.”  
“I’m going to have to agree with the android on this one.”  
“I need to take the fact that he was hiding things from me out on him.”

“I never imagined that he would be the one in control of the relationship.” Alex quipped, winking before he walked out the door. The silence that was left behind was tense, just for that brief moment.

It dissipated almost immediately though, as Gavin was back on the bed in just about that same span of time. “Why didn’t you tell me first thing?” He asked, kneeling on the side of the bed as he leaned over the man.

“You seemed upset. Contextually, it wouldn’t have made much sense to spring the good news before we were interrupted.” The detective replied, reaching up to run a hand through that brown hair, pulling the android back into his grasp.

“You’re such an asshole.”  
“I know.”  
“I hate you for it.”  
“Now that is an absolute lie.”  
“Fuck off.”

“I would much rather just fuck you instead.” Conan was smirking as he connected the two of them again, soft lips meeting his own. Gavin just used it as an excuse to hide his embarrassment, breaking the kiss rather quickly to hide himself into the human’s neck. 

“Okay.” It was the softest whisper, as if he was ashamed to even be saying something like that. “But not here though! No way in hell am I getting caught doing that!” He added almost immediately, his hands pushing himself up.

Conan could appreciate the view. The soft blue blush was enough motivation to keep teasing him, spreading across the android’s cheeks like wildfire. Gavin had either cleaned up or located a new jacket, to which Conan easily wrapped his hands into it. Yanking lightly, he brought the android back down again. “Then let me get some pleasure from whatever you  _ will _ let me do in this hospital bed.”

By the time Alex came back for another round, he just saw Conan fast asleep with the android idly petting his hair as he did so. There wasn’t any harm in that, right?

                                                                                                -------

It was awkward sitting in the front of the car with Connor, for multiple reasons. First off, Isabel was stressed out to an almost alarming point. Second off, Conan should have been there, not Connor. But that idiot was alone in his hospital room, which also made the android anxious. Was he lonely? 

Probably not, knowing his asshole.

But still, Gavin found himself curling up in the seat, resting his head on his knees as he watched the world go by. He hadn’t returned to the Cyberlife tower since his release. He hadn’t seen Markus, nor his engineer Simon, or North and Josh since that time. Would they like the person he’s become? Would he be shunned?

“You’re thinking too hard, Six.” Her voice was soft, soothing. “Whatever is going to happen today, I’m ready for it.” He picked his head up to look back at her, the broken android who had been in holding for the last four days. “I can’t say that I’ve lived a good life, but it’s been fulfilling nonetheless. Plus, you saved me from it continuing down a really shitty path.”

“I just don’t want you to get decommissioned. That seems really fucking unfair.”  
“I’d almost welcome it.”

He turned forward once again, his fingers running down his jeans as he thought that over. Had he felt the same way when he was discovered? He couldn’t remember much of that at all, but he just kept telling himself that he needed to live in the now. There was no point in worrying about his past, that was a completely different person, after all.

“I still hope they don’t.”

                                                                                                -------

Gavin liked Markus. There was something so comforting about the man, watching him stand there with open arms. Even the inside of the building felt different, livelier. Humans and androids were both bustling around, working as hard as they could to get done with the day. Before, the building felt like a tomb. Now? It felt like any other building in Detroit. 

“Hello, brother.” His voice was soft, warm, and something that was so familiar to Gavin. Markus never mentioned his number, or called him anything other than the names he had been given through the years. There wasn’t a bit of hesitation as the small model launched himself at the man before him. After all, Markus gave the best damn hugs.

“Holy shit, you look so different.” He whispered, looking up at the taller man. Suits really did fit him, more than anything else. Simon must have been over the moon with this choice. “You have one hell of a lucky husband.” He joked lightly, hearing that equally warm laugh follow.

“As do you though. A lot has changed about your demeanor.” Markus’s dual colored gaze drifted up though, to the sight of the poor woman in the cuffs. “Lieutenant Stern has joined us as well. Tell me, how is Hank faring?” There was no hurt, no anger in his voice as he walked over, clasping one of the man’s hands in both of his own.

“He regrets not being able to come today, but with my brother out of commission, we need all hands on deck at the precinct.’ Connor explained, bringing Markus’s attention back to the female android though. “Isabel is the reason we’re here though. She carried the virus that has been taking over androids around the city, and we thought it might be good for her to be in your care.”

With a soft hum, he nodded, walking over to the cuffed woman. A gentle hand brushed against the cheek with the still blacked out eye, watching her for a moment. “You have seen so much, haven’t you?” He asked, her nodding in return. “Come with me then. I have a team of engineers who want to talk with you.” It was soft, gentle, and something that she hadn’t experienced in a long time. There was simply no stopping the tears once they started.

“Lieutenant, I’m going to be taking her and Gavin with me for a moment. If you wouldn’t mind remaining back, I’ll be back for you as well. Soon.” The rebellious android kept one hand on his brother and the other one on the damaged android, as he led both of them deeper into the building. Weaving in and out of people  he finally opened one of the doors, in which they were greeted by familiar faces, at least when it came to Gavin.

Simon gave the android another hug, the human the only one among the small group. He had always been like that, though, kind to a fault. It made sense as to why the two of them worked so well together. North shook his hand, taking a moment to interface with him and get a small smattering of the details of his personal life. North was the other one that Gavin kept in contact with, finding it easy to be himself around her. She didn’t take anyone’s shit, and that was something he aspired for. Josh was mildly distracted, typing away in a corner… It was accurate for the amount of interaction Gavin had with the man.

Overall though, it was a warm group. It felt like Gavin had made it back home to his family.

                                                                                                -------

As the only one who couldn’t get affected by the virus, Simon took point on this one. Gavin had uncuffed her, moving over to sit next to North and spend some time gossiping with her about the newly acquired person in his life. She approved of his snark, but hadn’t fully been won over by the detective yet. To be fair, she did have a mild bias against most humans.

Isabel was explaining everything to Markus and Simon. The connection that the six of them possessed, how she had felt every time one of them was taken from her. Their voices slowly being pulled from her mind, like someone had yanked the plug out of a socket and just left it unused. She could feel the anguish that came from being shot, but most of the time it was muted by the feeling of what Zlatko had been putting her through. She described a man the best she could on that night, the one that returned and repaired their broken master.

Both of them cringed at the way she said master, as if there was feelings and care behind those words.

She continued on, however, talking about the day he took her remaining sight. The day he took her chassis apart to get to the inner wires. She had been the first one with the virus, she began to explain, talking about how she had been the experiment. The person who had written the code behind the virus had given it to her master, and she had volunteered to take the first hit.

In reality, she had been trying to protect Gavin from it, who was always the first to volunteer for anything. She knew that he had been the last one to receive the virus, and that it was the thing that had broken RK600.

It was at that point that North’s arms wrapped around him, pulling the once defunct android to herself. Markus glanced back at him, double checking to make sure he was all right. When he seemed fine, she continued.

Joseph had been second, Meredith the third. Fourth and fifth were still out in the world, and the sixth was right there. With Zlatko gone, however, it seemed unlikely that more would spawn up. Or, she seemed confident in the fact that the virus would die with them. Still, Simon wouldn’t allow Markus to interface with the woman before him, not until he got the chance to actually break down the coding behind it.

“Are you going to decommission me?” She asked at the end, looking right into those mismatched eyes, Perhaps it was the tone of voice, or the calm way she said it, but there was something unnerving in the air around them.

“I will leave that decision to you, Isabel.” he replied, a hand coming to rest on her knee. Simon attempted to reach a hand out to take his off, but Markus refused, his full attention on her at this point.

“I…” Her gaze glanced to Gavin, that same kind smile coming to her lips. “I am quite tired, Markus, and I am ready to finally rest.”

“ **No!** ”  
“Gavin, it is not our decision on this.”  
“No, you can’t just kill her!”

Those strong arms held him in place, despite his now apparent struggling. Nails clawed at her artificial skin until it finally gave way, releasing the small android. “You can’t leave me yet, Bell!” He almost demanded, pushing Markus’s hand off and moving to stand between the two of them. “I just found you again. You’re not allowed to do this to me!”

Her own hands came up, moving to rest on his shoulders. Pulling him in close, she shook her head and whispered to him. “You’re the hero of this story, not me. The past should remain in the past, and that is what I intend to do. I’m going to give every bit of information  I have, and then I will finally rest. For the first time in my life, I will finally find peace, Six. Would you really deny me of that?”

Both of his hands came up, resting atop her own shoulders. His forehead dipped forward, as he nodded. ‘Of course not.” He muttered, though the few tears that splashed down onto her cheeks spoke volumes over what his mouth wouldn’t say. 

“Don’t let them reactivate you. Once Simon and his team are done, make sure they scrubbed every bit of the virus out of you. And don’t trust everyone you’ve met.” She whispered, before gently releasing him. Gavin looked back, confusion crossing his face as he processed those words. He didn’t respond to that though. “I love you, Six, don’t forget that.”

He nodded, just once. “I love you too, Bell.”

                                                                                                -------

Gavin remained behind in that meeting room, curled up on a couch as he rested there for a moment. There was a lot of information running through him, but it all came down to two things. The virus was still in him, and there was someone around him who he couldn’t trust. While he was fairly positive it wasn’t Conan, that left a lot of people it  _ could _ be. 

Eventually, he just ended up leaning against Simon, who had opted to stay with the small android as Markus debrief Connor on what they had learned so far. “Would you like to talk about what happened, or would you like a distraction, since nothing can be fixed right now?” He asked eventually.

Those stormy eyes opened, before he turned and hid his face into that warm shoulder. Why did humans have to be so damn warm? “A distraction.”

“How are things going with the detective?”

It was amazing just how quickly the android could shoot up and curl in on himself, as if he had something to hide about all of that. “They’re  **fine** .” He muttered, his hands clenching comfortably into his jeans. ‘He’s an  _ idiot _ who went and got himself shot, but he’s getting released from the hospital tomorrow and I need to confirm with the captain that I don’t have to come in tomorrow.” The words flowed out fast and smoothly. Much like when he talked about his partner, the thought of someone else knowing anything that was happening embarrassed Gavin to no end.

“I just want to make sure he gets home all right, and that way I can get him settled for the night. It’ll be nice to have him home, I know Sidekick missed him.” Gavin added, feeling those eyes on him again. Simon was too clever for his own good.

“And you do too, I assume.” The blonde chuckled slightly, reaching over and resting a hand on Gavin’s arm. ‘I never once thought that you would be one of the ones to fall for a human. All of you brothers are actually really similar, aren’t you?” He asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Ask the question we all want to know, Simon.” North said, walking into the room. “Have you two fucked yet or not?”

Almost in unison, both android and human let out a loud “ **North** !!” before Simon let out a small chuckle, and Gavin once again attempted to hide in his hood. Why everyone had to tease him, he would never know.

“Well that is a resounding no then.” She answered herself, once again sliding back into the chair that she had vacated not long ago. “Get on that. The man is a  _ beast _ and you’re an idiot for not taking a bite already.”

"Can we not talk about my partner like this?”  
"Oh, so he’s your  _ partner _ now? How informal.”  
“North. Shut. The FUCK. Up.”  
“Make me, lover boy.”

Gavin let out a rather pitiful groan, slowly swinging himself to his feet as Connor and Markus joined them once again. “I’ve had enough of being here, can I go home yet?’ He asked, watching the two of them for a moment. Markus glanced between him and North, a knowing smile coming to his lips. “Let me walk you out then, Gavin.” He said simply, as North started to crack up behind them. Simon softly chided her for her behavior, but as the door closed, they were both laughing at it in the end. Really, everyone around him was just glad that Gavin had returned to some semblance of a normal life.

At the doors, he got another hug, and a bright smile. “I want to meet Conan. Once he’s better, we need to arrange a meeting with him. And I would like to see Hank again as well. Please, Connor, tell him that I have no hard feelings towards him.” Markus said, turning his attention to Connor for another moment.

“I’ve tried, but I don’t think he’ll believe me.” The lieutenant muttered, running a hand through that brown hair before letting it drop into a pocket. ‘Speaking of him, he’s been blowing up my phone for a while. Keep us up on your findings, and I’m sure we’ll see you soon.” Connor had a touch of finality in his tone, he was ready to get the hell home.

Gavin waved and followed after him, his mind still spinning. Right now, he needed to concentrate on anything but that. As he was dropped off at the hospital, life became easier to handle and to forget.

                                                                                                -------

There was the soft sound of many paws hitting the ground as the door was opened again, and a loud chorus of mews seemed to echo through the admittedly empty apartment. Scooping down, Gavin almost immediately deposited Sidekick into Conan’s arms, listening to the cat release an almost unearthly purr at the sight of her second owner. Gavin led the man in, throwing almost all their belongings to the floor as he pulled the detective with him. 

A bath, dinner and bed. He was still supposed to be on bed rest, and Gavin was going to do his damndest to make sure that the man didn’t have a reason to leave the bed.

“You don’t have to rush me around, you know. I’m more than capable of handing this on my own.” the human offered, feeling the kitten settle down on his shoulder. She liked to feel tall.

“No. I’m not leaving your side for the next five days, and you’re just going to have to deal with that.” The android muttered in response, letting his hand run under the faucet as he checked the temperature of it.

“Does that mean you’re going to join me in the bath as well?”  
“I’m not required to bathe.”  
“I never listed it as a requirement.”

Gavin turned his gaze down, biting down on his lip as he mulled it over for a moment. He would be fine to join him, after all. “Do you want me to join you?”

Conan finished sliding his shirt off himself, tossing it lightly to the ground as well. “How did I end up with the stupidest android in the planet?” He asked, kneeling down in front of Gavin. “Of course I want you to join me. Get in that bath, you attractive son of a bitch.” Conan grinned, just a bit, as Gavin watched him for a moment.

“Why are you such an  _ asshole?! _ ”  
“You wouldn’t have me any other way.”

Gavin groaned, pushing himself up to start sliding his jacket off. He would be lying if he said he didn’t want this, to be as close to his stupid human as possible. Conan shifted around the android in the small bathroom, carefully averting his gaze as he slipped into the bathtub. For Gavin’s sake. The detective would have absolutely loved to see what the android was working with.

When they had finally both settled, Gavin felt those strong arms wrap around him, pulling his small frame back and against his chest. Both of his own hands intertwined with those long, dexterous fingers, and for the first time in a while Gavin actually felt relaxed. It was nice to be at peace with the world, and not have his thoughts cluttered up in the ifs and whats of everything that had been happening.

“I missed you.” Gavin whispered, letting his eyes slide shut as he relaxed back. “Which I never thought I would miss a stupid human, but here we are.”

“You always know the best way to ruin a good moment.” Conan hummed though, leaning down to nuzzle into that artificial skin, pressing a series of warm kisses to his throat. “I missed you too, my love.”

The way the word hung in the air, it hit Gavin in a way that he didn’t expect. Bolting out of the water, the android snatched up a discarded towel, wrapping it around himself as he stood there for a moment. Face bright blue, he fanned himself lightly, muttering something about making dinner while Conan finished up in here.

He was gone in the next moment. The detective was more than amused, though there was a sense of longing for that quickly departed android.

When Conan finally joined him once again, Gavin had taken over the kitchen. “You’re wearing my shirt.” The detective pointed out, enjoying the way that it revealed a bit more of that shoulder that he wouldn’t have minded taking a bite out of.

“You’re not allowed in here right now. Banned from the kitchen until I’m done with this.” It wasn’t really the response he had wanted, but he took it anyways, wandering into the living room and watching as Sidekick almost immediately joined him. When Gavin did, the android didn’t hesitate to curl up right next to him. It was cute, the way Gavin immediately went to go hide his embarrassment by pressing his face into that shoulder again. He seemed to be developing a habit.

“I love you too.”  
“I know.”  
“Why do you  **always** have to be an  _ asshole? _ ”  
“Because I’ll never get sick of watching you get riled up.”  
“Oh  _ fuck you _ .”  
“Now, that’s not at all what we agreed upon.”

Gavin bit down on his lip, grey eyes glancing up at he watched the other smirk for a moment. “Surprisingly, you’re right. But nothing like that until you eat and rest. Then we can discuss it tomorrow.”

“You are so cruel to me.”  
“Oh fuck off and eat already!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I want to porn next chapter? The opportunity is there, but the debate is real. Stay tuned as I debate on this one. (Or give me your opinions. I'm also debating writing it and adding it as a side story also.)


	10. A Connection Closer Than Interfacing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys finally do it and I'm so proud of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If someone told me, someone how spends a lot of time writing smut, that it would be 10 chapters before I did it, I would have laughed normally. 
> 
> I apologize for how long it took me to get this out! I usually do my writing at work, and this wasn't something I could write at work, sadly. I mean, I could, I would have just mortified my IT workers. I like them enough not to do that.
> 
> Also, If smut isn't your thing, this chapter is entirely skippable! It's really soft and gentle though. Which was fun, I haven't written like that in a while.

It took two days for the conversation to come back up again, this time when Gavin had taken a pair of the detective’s shorts to wander around him, still wearing that same oversized shirt. He could  _ feel _ the human’s eyes on him, that blue blush spreading across his cheeks as he slammed a mug of coffee down onto the table. 

“Do you mind  _ not _ staring at my ass for once, or are you just that impatient?” he asked, leaning on the table to look over at the man before him. “I know they did a good job on it, but I have far better features.”

Conan hummed slightly, his hands wrapping around that mug as he brought it to his lips. “I am absolutely that impatient. Am I through my probationary period yet, or are you going to make me wait any longer?”

“I’m absolutely going to make you wait.”  
“Asshole.”  
“You can’t have everything you want, detective.”

There was a smirk that he couldn’t see at the end of that, the smell of bacon starting to waft into the room. But it really wasn’t what Conan was in the mood for. He set the mug down and stood up slowly, moving carefully over to the android. He was doing his own form of check, figuring out if he was in good enough shape to be doing something as rough as what he had in mind.

“I absolutely get everything I want, Gavin. You should know this by now.” All it would take was a good, solid  _ No _ from the android and he would absolutely behave. But he had a feeling that Gavin was just trying to be stubborn. As always. His fingers reached around, turning the burner off,as his other arm wrapped around the android. Lifting him right off his feet, Conan took a step back and laughed. “Now, if I ask nicely, can I finally touch my partner?”

The android seemed to squirm for a moment, his fingers reaching back as he tried to latch onto something, anything. The instant Conan started to press those warm kisses to his neck again, however, a soft moan seemed to slip from his lips. They were both ready for it, having been so patient. And now that it was just the two of them, well, all that was left to overcome was Gavin’s nerves.

“You have to put me down first! Otherwise it’s just cheating!” The android finally latched onto that soft brown hair and held onto him. “And not in the kitchen, that just… seems like a bad idea.”

“Stop using your android logic on me.” Conan replied, still carrying the lightweight model. At the very least, he set him back down in the living room instead. Better to play nice with him, so the android might finally relax. Still, his mouth never really left that over-sensitive neck, letting his teeth run carefully over that back panel. “Is this better, princess?”

That was enough to make the android turn around, tightening his hands into the other’s shirt. He used it to drag the detective down to him, the kiss that was pressed against those lips sloppy at best. Admittedly, he had gotten better over time, but it was the biggest clue to how nervous the android might have been. “Yes, it’s better. Stop being an ass and go sit down.”

Conan complied, settling onto the couch and pulling lightly on the android’s shirt. When Gavin slid so comfortably into the detective’s lap, the human gave the android one of the most genuine smiles that he had seen. “I feel almost like I’m going to get spoiled with this now. What a thoughtful gift, Gav.” He almost purred the words, pulling the android in for another long, slow kiss. When he was leading the android, Gavin was more than happy to follow through with the actions. Sure, he had done some research, but this was all new territory.

Warm fingers slipped underneath his own skirt, sliding along that artificial skin and moving to slide the bit of clothing right off his shoulders. It was tossed onto the floor easily enough, before Conan started to bite and kiss at that soft skin once again. Too soft. Admittedly, it would be his first time with an android, but it was all just an experience and one that he was more than keen to join in on. “I’m quite upset that I can’t mark you up, though.”

A small shiver ran down his core, Gavin shifting slightly to make his chest easier to access. He had intended on doing most of the work with this, considering he still didn’t want Conan exerting too much energy. He was still recovering, after all. But just letting those too warm hands slide over him, guiding him in just the right way, it was almost too easy to get caught up in. “I can bring it up with Chloe. I’m sure that there’s something we could do.” He grinned, taking those hands off of himself.

When the android pushed himself off and right onto his knees, they both knew where this was going. With that same cheeky grin, a warmer than natural hand began to palm Conan through those shorts, stormy eyes watching his every movement. It was the small things he cherished, watching Conan let his head fall back against the couch, the soft groan that slipped from him, and the much louder groan that came after Gavin slid his hand beneath the waistband.

Drawing his cock out, the android almost immediately dipped forward and slipped it deep into his mouth. There was no reason for an android to have a gag reflex after all, and that quickly became something that Conan could get used to. Or so Gavin thought, from the way the human jerked forward, curling those long fingers into his too soft hair. “Fuck, Gav. Go easy on me, it’s been a while.” The detective ended up whispering, though the gentle rock of his hips spoke volumes.

The android didn’t listen, his hands reaching up to grab onto those hips. Nope. For once he was in control of this and he was going to keep control of it. Slowing him down and gently adding a bit of pressure, Gavin started to swallow around him, absolutely wanting to coax Conan into releasing.  “Gavin, don’t be a dick.” Conan groaned, trying to move against those hands that were pinning him down and failing spectacularly. “I’m going to get you back for this tenfold.” The detective added after a moment, low moans punctuating his words as he spoke.

Gavin pulled off just long enough to look up at him, speaking with the slightest bit of distortion in his voice. “I’m gonna expect that now, Conan.” He grinned, before absolutely swallowing him back down. It wouldn’t be more than another thirty seconds before he could feel the way the detective tensed up, barely letting out a warning before he came right down the android’s already roughed up throat. Gavin let out a bit of a shocked noise at that, pulling off the man and licking his lips slightly.

“Wow, rude. Isn’t it normal to warn someone?”  
“Shut up, Gav.”  
“That is so  _ rude _ of you, Conan.”

The human didn’t hesitate, latching onto the back of his neck and pulling the android into a kiss. It was rough, and full of every bit of what he was feeling at the moment. “Gav, for once,  _ shut up _ .” There was no cruelty in his voice as Conan joined him on the floor, his heart racing from such a simple action. Something he had done a hundred times before, but it was so different with this damn android.

He caught those lips again, slowly sliding his tongue into that awaiting mouth, tasting remnants of himself on that artificial tongue. Conan was caught up in everything that was Gavin, the stupid fucking android that had turned his life on his head. Gavin’s hands clenched into the human’s hair, holding him through that passionate kiss. He didn’t pull away when Conan shifted up, instead just hooking his legs around those strong hips.

Conan carried him down the hall, crawling onto the bed with the android still wrapped around him. The kiss didn’t break until he pulled back to look down at him. The mess that the android was just made him look so  _ human _ , he could barely believe it. “You’re so fucking gorgeous.” Conan whispered, hands trailing down his sides as he finally took the opportunity to slide those shorts off that smaller frame.

It was the blush that rested on Conan’s cheeks that had the android speechless. The soft moment between the two of them was probably the best memory yet that he would tuck away, the desire behind those eyes just yet another thing he never wanted to forget. “I could say the same to you. You’re not allowed to look at anyone else like this anymore.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be an issue.”  
“Cause you love me, right?”  
“With all my damn heart.”

Gavin attempted to mumble back a response, but only managed to nod more than anything else. “Y-you really mean that, don’t you?” He asked, feeling a warm hand wrap around his wrist.

“It’s not something I would joke about, Gav.” The detective pressed that hand to his heart, and the way it was racing against his chest. The soft, sweet sound that seemed to come from Gavin was enough to surprise the human, and he didn’t question it as he was pulled back in.

“I love you so damn much, you stupid fucking human.” Gavin whispered, wrapping his legs around those hips once again and pulling him in. “Now let me feel all of you before I change my mind.” He added, feeling Conan chuckle just slightly.

“Yes, sir.” The detective whispered, pulling back just slightly. After a rather awkward conversation with his brother he had learned a few things, most of which he never would have wanted to know otherwise. But one of the things he had picked up was the lack of prep that needed to happen. Resting a hand against that warm chest, those finger splayed out as he slowly lined himself up with the android below him. “Are you ready?”

“For the love of fuck, Conan. Just fuck me already.”

He probably should have been unsettled by the smirk that he got in return, but the moment Conan sheathed himself so fully into the other, all those thoughts were gone from his mind. Pleasure coursed through his body, a wonderful modification that he would have to thank Chlo for later. Conan stayed still for a moment, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against the android’s. Almost desperate breaths seemed to be escaping from the human before he finally started to move, one hand sliding behind Gavin’s head to hold him there.

The other wrapped around that artificial dick, stroking slowly along his length as he finally started to move. It was quick, more desperation in his movements than he would have liked to have. But there was no shame behind it, watching the way Gavin seemed to squirm slightly every time he managed to hit that bundle of wires so deep inside him.

Chloe was going to get a hell of a thanks from both of them at this rate.

The chorus of soft whines slipping from Gavin and short breaths from Conan was what filled the room, no words needed between the two of them. The detective’s own endurance wasn’t going to allow him to last too long, not at the punishing pace that he wanted to be at. Soft kisses were what broke up the noises, before Conan felt both of Gavin’s hands clench onto his upper arms. They tightened to what should have been a painful point, the softest whisper of “Close” managing to slip from him. It was an unfamiliar feeling, but the moment his mind went blank… And then everything went dark.

The moment it went from pleasure to panic was impressive, as Conan looked down at the android for a moment. His eyes widened slightly, before a short laugh actually slipped from him. So maybe he should have heeded his brother’s warning after all.

Gavin would reactivate with several fans around him, an ice pack resting against the back of his head. Somewhat clothed once again, he looked over to his partner, who had Sidekick curled up in his lap.

“I should have warned you that you might overheat. Connor had warned me… And I suppose I should have listened.” Conan said, noticing when Sidekick perked up and looked over at the android. “I hope you can forgive me as well.”

Sitting up, Gavin glanced at the human, with that stupid quirky grin on his lips. “Oh  _ fuck _ off. Like you could get a model as advanced as myself to overheat.” It was an attempt to be cocky, as he slid off the bed with ease. Picking up the cat, he deposited her on the bed and almost immediately took her spot on Conan’s lap. “I guess that means that I owe you then, right?”

Chuckling softly, Conan brought him in for another slow kiss. “Just means that we have to try again. What a shame.”

“I’ll figure out a way to get you to overheat this time.”  
“Pretty sure that’s impossible, but I’m up for the challenge.”  
“Fuck off and get back on the bed, you asshole.”  
“Oh, you mean right now?”  
“ _ Of course i do! _ ”

Conan grinned, sliding his hands right back onto that firm ass. “All right, you’ve convinced me. Show me a good time this time, Gav.”

“You better fucking believe I will!”


	11. A Ticking Time Bomb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slowly, the pieces are pulling together, but where they end up still remains to be seen. Conan heals, Gavin gets bored, and a connection is once again formed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Big warnings in this one, just because we're slowly winding up to the climax of this story. I'm thinking maybe four to five more chapters? To be fair, if you would have told me that I was going to make it to 11 chapters, I would have laughed. And yet here we are. Thank you or sticking with me for this long, and I'm sorry for the long break in-between! Illness won for a while, but it seems like everything is coming back comfortably.
> 
> Here's to the next chapters! Thank you and I adore you all!

There might not be anything quite as boring as healing. Having to sit around, doing minimal things, as the body repairs itself. If Conan was regretting anything about his life right now, it had to have been that he left his guard down long enough to get shot by the Russian fuck. Not to say there weren’t distinct benefits to the healing process, but there was only so many times that you could fuck your android boyfriend before you both needed a break.

It also had a tendency to kill the mood when he would check in so frequently on Conan’s vitals, to make sure he was doing all right.

Hell, he had yelled at the android twice now for scanning him while they were going at it.

Gavin was doing his best, though, through the entire process. It had been a few weeks now, with people flitting in and out as they deemed fit. Doctors, Connor and Hank, Tina dropped by to steal Gavin on occasion, hell, even Fowler dropped by once. None of it mattered, though, because Conan was so entirely bored.

The house was quiet as he heard a soft knock on the door, before his brother found the will to just barge right in. Clutching his bag to himself in an obviously suspicious manner, he didn’t even comment at the noise that had started to slip from Conan. Something about respecting his privacy or his property should have come out, but it was quickly silenced by a mere look.

“Don’t start. I brought you a present.” Connor said, moving to settle down next to him. He looked… tired, to say the least. The captain must have been running him ragged.

Thrusting the bag to his brother, a weary sort of smile seemed to come to his lips. Tucked deep inside was one of his tablets, and a pile of case files, the sort of things that they would have given to beat cops trying to make a name for themselves. Stuff that Conan could get through in a day.

He could have kissed Connor right then and there.

“Dear lord, you might just love me.”  
“I know that you have a tendency to get stir crazy.”  
“Feel free to burst into my house at any time to give me things like this.”

The small look of relief that seemed to wash over Connor was refreshing, as the man leaned onto his brother. It was a gentle movement, in which Conan put the bag down and curled around his long hurting brother. The stress from being overworked was something he didn’t handle so well anymore.

“You smell like a human disaster.” Conan muttered softly, resting his head on top of that soft pile of hair. It wasn’t meant in a cruel way, just factual.

“You smell like android sex and cigarettes. I think we might be on even footing in that case.” Connor quipped back, but he didn’t move. Conan was not an overly affectionate person, he never had been. So Connor was going to take every bit of this energy that he could.

When Gavin returned home with Tina, coffee in hand for both him and Conan, the first thing he would spot would be the tablet, perched on the table. Those stormy eyes would flicker over to the lieutenant, passed out with his head resting in his brother’s lap, as Conan took the time to pour over a particular case file. Waving Tina in, Gavin wandered over at set the cup down in front of the other, as silent as he could, before having the cop follow him down the hallway to his own, long forgotten bedroom. 

This was a moment that there was no need to break up. Besides, if anyone had earned a break, it would have to be Connor.

                                                                                                -------

As Conan had become more self-reliant, Gavin had taken to going back into work. He had a preference for not leaving his idiot’s side, but there was only so much domesticity that he could actually handle before he got bored. 

They wouldn’t give him cases on the android killer, however. With newly unveiled information from Isabel, many people were now seeing the android as a liability in the case. Which, to their point, he was actually becoming one. He hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.  Soft whispers that didn’t come through all the way, gentle cries for help that he had no point of reference for. It was as if something in his brain was on a bad radio frequency, and he couldn’t do anything to tune into it.

So he ignored it. He patrolled with Tina, got caught up on the gossip that flooded through the precinct. She swore she would keep their relationship a secret.

To her word, she had… Well, as far as the android could tell. Having her as a partner was pleasant, if anything. But he missed his detective, he missed having someone who didn’t look like he had kicked a kitten when he sniped back at her, or talked like he normally would have. It felt weird, having to have some form of protocol. He felt like Hank, just without the grouchiness or the stick up his ass.

Though there was a small bit of pride in having taken over Conan’s desk in his absence. After all, it was just more  _ convenient, _ there was absolutely  _ no  _  other reason for him to want to curl into that chair and work behind a terminal that was entirely not his own. Curling his legs underneath him in the chair, he set to work actually typing up the latest report. Could he have just uploaded it? Of course. But both himself and Hank had gotten used to this practice, as to not completely outrun their partners in work.

Were they still more efficient? Naturally. But this was better for everyone in the long run.

The only issue with doing things the manual way was that it left him with time to think. And thinking always brought him back to that damn noise, the static that he just couldn’t focus in on. Words would come in and out every now and then, but nothing substantial, nothing that could actually give him a clue.

Hell, if an android could get a headache, that would be the extent of what was being achieved. Focusing on other things helped, and Conan provided a useful distraction, especially now that he was healed to a point of just needing to be cleared again. A few more days, and  he would have  _ his _ partner back. Something that he was dying for.

The thought of talking to Chloe had come to mind at one point, but there was something at the back of his mind that didn’t want that. Whether it was not to burden her with it, or something else entirely… Well, even as a deviant, Gavin wasn’t so good with the whole  _ feelings _ thing, so trying to differentiate between anything that wasn’t angry, horny, or worry didn’t really get him that far. Those three? He had those  _ down. _ Suspicion wasn’t entirely logical though, and having gut feelings wasn’t something he had either. So instead, he just listened to that little voice in the back of his mind telling him not to trust Chloe Kamski entirely.

Was that little voice in the form of Isabel, in the shape of a small memory that he had shoved back there in an attempt to forget about it? Absolutely. He was doing his best not to remember the now destroyed android.

Alright, maybe he had figured out how sadness worked too. Not like he was going to be  _ admitting _ to it any time soon. But it did bring another thought to his mind. Simon. Maybe he could talk to Simon about this sort of thing, let the kind-hearted human mess around in his brain a bit. Kicking his feet up onto the desk that wasn’t his, he tilted back in the chair and just let his thoughts process for a minute,. He should probably go see the engineer anyways… So it couldn’t hurt to ask him a few questions along the way.

                                                                                                -------

‘Don’t you usually go to Chlo for routine maintenance?” Simon asked, as Gavin paced around the room for a moment. He had asked specifically that it be the two of them, knowing that Simon would hold onto his wishes and questions. 

Seriously, he had never met a human as sweet as Simon.

"Well, this isn’t really routine. And I don’t want to see her right now.” The pout was an act, as he crossed his arms across his chest. It was something that he didn’t want to admit to, that there was a lingering feeling of worry about just what Chloe might have been connected to.

“And I’m assuming you don’t want to talk about that either, right?” Simon was settled into his office chair, three monitors in front of him as he started to dig around for the right set of cords for him. The RK series was special in more ways than one, after all.

“ Fuck no, I don’t.”  
“Then what  _ do _ you want to discuss, Gav?”  
“Has everyone picked up that as a fucking nickname for me?”  
“I think it’s charming, so yes. Now how about you tell me what’s going on.”

Gavin was hesitating, that much was apparent. His eyes darted to look at a camera across the room, before looking back at the blonde right before him. “We’re 100 percent alone? No recording is going on?”

“I turned the cameras off, yes.”

Another, less nervous glance to it confirmed that, as Gavin let out a low sigh. “I’m having thoughts that aren’t my own.” It was a soft omission, feeling like he was one of those people on the crazy reality shows that he forces Conan to watch. Well, Simon  _ was _ acting more like a therapist. “ Every now and then I’ll hear someone calling out, asking for help, and there’s nothing that I can do about it. And that’s when it comes through at all. Otherwise it’s just like… static.”

“You should really talk to Chlo--”  
“I’m  **not** going to Kamski for this! She might be the fucking cause of it!”

There it was, the final bit of worry tumbling from his mouth as he sat there. The android got up, storming his way over to the door as he felt a warm hand latch onto his arm. Wrenching it free, he tried for the door once again.

“That’s a serious accusation, Gavin.” Simon said simply, not reaching for him again. “If you want me to run the diagnostic through, and make sure that it’s not something mechanical, you’re going to have to stay in the room.” There was no aggression there, nothing accusatory in his voice as he waited rather patiently. Gavin was the one to hesitate, eventually settling down on a chair closer to Simon.

“Yeah, I guess we should do something like that.” He admitted, reaching back to expose the panel there. ‘Are you going to knock me out like she normally does for this?”

“I...Don’t see a reason to.” There was another bit of hesitation in Simon’s voice, just edged with a small bit of confusion. “Chloe knocks you out for them? There’s really no reason for that. Markus enjoys sitting in on watching his own diagnostics.” He hummed, plugging the wires into the smaller man.

“I don’t know why she does it. I mean, the first time kinda made sense, but I… Fuck, I don’t know. You’re not supposed to question your creator,  right?” He asked, attempting to joke with him. It didn’t go over well.

“I’m fairly sure the entire point of deviancy is just that, 900.” Simon said simply, pulling up the data onto the screen. Each moment that passed, the engineer seemed to only grow more and more concerned. Only when he started furiously typing did Gavin start to get the inkling that something was wrong. ‘Do you mind if I bring Markus in? I need a secondary set of eyes to confirm something.”

"I… I guess?”

It would only be a few minutes before his predecessor joined them, both of those warm, artificial hands landing on Simon’s shoulders. Mismatched eyes scanned over the information before him, piecing together something that went unspoken between the two of them. Gavin watched them tighten just slightly, before relaxing and looking down at the smaller model.

“I think Chloe Kamski has done you a strong disservice.” Markus said, cocking his head to the side slightly. ‘You’ve been having memories coming back, correct?”

"For a while now, yeah. What the fuck is going on?” Small flickers of blue had appeared on his lip where artificial teeth had worn the synthetic skin away.

“Typically, whenever we get an android in who has gone through dramatic traumas, we remove the offending memories or just wipe their memory banks clean.” Simon started to explain, turning that screen towards him. “Where she could have easily just removed the memories from existence, she instead veiled them, which is why your brain is starting to bring them forth in times of high stress. Considering you are exposing yourself to what is your greatest trauma, I’m not really surprised that the memories are coming back.”

“I just don’t understand why she would do something like that, though. It’s as if she wanted you to experience it all again. But Chloe and Elijah are not cruel people, they wouldn’t put someone like you into the world just to torture you.” Markus added, his fingers drumming lightly against his chin in thought. 

“As for the voices, I think that might be the connection to the other five androids. The detective is due to come back to duty soon, yes? Does that mean that you’ll be returned to the case?” The engineer found himself asking, sorting through data to find the piece that he would need to remove, if asked to. 

“‘I’m returning to it whether Fowler wants to let us or not.”

“As is the spirit of my littlest brother. Would you like Simon to sever that now, so you can concentrate on the work ahead?”

"Hell no! I want to know how to tune into it! You’re telling me I have a connection that I can use to stop these fucking murders? I’m going to fucking use it!” He snapped back, Markus catching his hand before he could reach back and rip the wires out of himself. Gavin let out a small growl, but he relaxed after another moment. These two weren’t trying to hurt him.

“I… Are you sure? That seems rather dangerous. I would need several hours of your time to find even part of the actual virus, and if you connect through, then you might get reactivated again.” The worrying tone was enough to take some of the edge off Gavin, as he shifted slightly in the seat. Simon wasn’t entirely ready to clear up the connection, not with him on such an emotional high.

"Darling, if that’s what he wants, then it’s what he deserves. Gavin is more than capable of making his own choices, and the detective is more than capable of containing him, should things go wrong.” A hand came up, warm and pressing against Gavin’s cheek. “How about we repair the damage that Chloe let fall onto you?”

                                                                                                -------

Gavin seemed different, as he walked through the door that night. No greetings, no rants, just an android that wandered over to the couch beside him, shoving copious amounts of paperwork off before curling up in the now vacated spot. Made of half asshole and half cat, Conan had grown more than used to this sort of thing happening with his android.

He just brought a hand down to rest on his head, icy blue eyes focusing in for just a moment on that  angry red LED, spinning with some form of unpleasant thought. Warm fingers stroked through his hair as Conan continued to work, now one-handed. When he wanted to speak of it, he would.

It would be over an hour before Gavin would make a noise, or move at all. In the time that he laid there, his mind had whirled through a vast amount of information. Of what Chloe had done, of what she would do to him if he ended up in her room again. Of Simon’s reaction to everything, and about how the memories would come back with time. No one wanted him getting too much information at once.

The connection though, it had gone silent. For the first time, he was able to control it. There wasn’t an annoying noise that had been going on for weeks now, something he couldn’t describe. So, for the first time since Conan had gotten injured, it felt like they could truthfully, finally have a night alone.

He wanted to savor this.

When he finally managed to pull the human away from work and to bed that night, he turned the connection on before joining him once again. It was silent, not even a burst of wind could be heard.

But on the other end, they got to hear an unneeded sigh of relief. The gentle groan of him settling into bed, and the soft whisper of a light, “I love you, you fucking idiot.” Come from the android before it was turned off once again.

And on the other side of that connection, an android smiled. With just a few more of those checks, they would finally be able to pinpoint their lost comrade.


	12. Same Circumstances, Different Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your favorite, psychopathic murdering duo is back, even though you've never heard of them. Big reveals, endgame notes. This is it folks, we are entering our last few chapters and shit is about to get real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I need to do a big old apology. I know I went MIA for a while here, but between Sakuracon, stress and life in general, my ass has be thoroughly kicked. I hope you all can forgive me, because I have not given up on this! I promise! I'm in too far to give up now, cause I'm thinking maybe 3 chapters and an epilogue left. And after this beast, I am so proud to say that I can see an ending in my line of sight.
> 
> All this is to say. THANK YOU FOR STICKING AROUND. You all mean the world to me. I owe you all a lot of smutty one-shots for this.

In front of a mass of monitors, an android sits. She’s sitting patiently, waiting for a line of them to turn back on. Her fingers seem to dance along a keyboard, tapping keys with an absurd ease. Most androids would have just interfaced with it, but she had been programmed differently. Physically unable to interface with the machine before her, she was reduced to nothing more than a normal _human_ , as disgusting as the word felt in her mouth.

The door behind her slid open, and the smell of blood assaulted her senses. Human blood, naturally. There was very little need for the two of them, the remaining two of them, to kill their own kind. Well, unless they became _useless_ or got in her way.

“Sophia?” A voice called out to her, making the shockingly beautiful android turn towards the sound. All of her modifications had been deep inside herself, unlike her partners. Where as she was ugly only on the inside, Grayson had been heavily modified inside and out. In a way, he was still quite beautiful, but his looks were cruel. Unforgiving. If someone were to meet him in a dark alley, they would run just from his visuals alone.

And that wasn’t accounting for the mind that was trapped in those processors. If someone were to combine ten of the most notorious serial killers, they wouldn’t be able to even come close to the depths of his depravity. Sophia loved that about him!

“Yes, my darling?”  
“Has he woken up yet?”

A heavy sigh escaped from her lips as her eyes darted towards the still darkened screens, shaking her head in such a sad manner. “He hasn’t turned on the connection again. We could go take him by force, but the fight that would follow just wouldn’t be worth it. His upgrades make him a rather formidable opponent.”

Blood soaked hands moved closer, as strong arms wrapped around her shoulders. A warm kiss pressed to her temple as he sat there, watching other darkened screens in front of them. In one set he saw himself, staring into those very strange displays. “Give him a week. If after that point he still hasn’t awoken to his purpose, we’ll pull the boss in to do something. She always has the best ideas.”

                                                                                                 -------

There was pride in his steps as Gavin walked into the precinct that day. Was it because of the detective walking behind him, finally back in the line of duty? Was it because he was finally taking control of the strange life the android had been given? Was it simply because he was a cocky asshole? Well, it could have easily been a combination of all of them, when it came right down to it. All that mattered was that Gavin was in an exceedingly good mood.

One that wouldn’t last all too long. Fowler was waiting on the two of them, file in hand. And from the stern look in the man’s eyes, there wasn’t going to be a need for that good mood to come back for a while. One look at the file told them enough, another one of those strings of murders that had been happening with more and more frequency. All humans, all with their throats slashed,) though it seemed that they were happening post-mortem) before tossing the bodies into well populated, open areas in the middle of the night.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that someone was trying to bait him out of hiding.

“Coffee, then we head out.” Conan managed to suggest as he started to skim over the file, taking it with him as he walked into the small break room off to the side of the building. “It isn’t as if the body is going to be leaving anytime soon, after all.”

Gavin nodded, though he took the time to sit on his detective’s desk, feet resting comfortably in that chair. His hands folded together neatly, before opting to do something rather stupid. He opened up the connection once again.

The screens flashed on in front of the two androids, as stormy grey eyes scanned around the precinct. They focused on Tina for a brief moment, watching the officer yawn from working too late into the night last night. They flickered over to Conan, watching the detective take a long drink from the mug before sighing slightly. Then over to Connor and Hank, heads together as they poured over a file together.

Sophia was typing, just as quickly as she possibly could. Her fingers were moving rapidly, trying to hit the right code phrase to get exactly what she wanted. After all, she just needed to find the right code to wake Six back up again, and steal him away from the stupid humans that he had decided to surround himself with. Really, what an _absolutely foolish_ choice. Something that she just couldn’t possibly fathom at this point.

Grayson watched on the edge of excitement, rocking back and forth slightly on his heels. Excitement seemed to course through his entire being, leaning heavily on the back of her chair. At least he had the decency to clean himself up somewhat.

But the connection was gone as quickly as it came. “Fuck!” Sophia let out in a state of anger, her hands slamming down into the table below them. Sighing slightly, a hand ran through long blonde hair, fingers curling into the slightly wavy ends.

“You’ll find it soon, my love.” Grayson muttered, leaning in to press a soft kiss to her temple. For someone so murderous, he really was quite a sweet person. “Perhaps with the next body, I can send a message to him. A little kick to come back to his family.”

“I assume you have the next victim chosen then?”  
“Well, I was thinking of doing someone close to him. The detective, the Lieutenant, his best friend perhaps?”  
“Don’t be so obvious. If you kill the detective, then we have no one to initiate him in with. The lieutenant is a drink away from overdosing on something… And Tina I like to watch. I want Six to watch her suffer, and to cause some of the pain with it.”

Grayson sighed at that, twiddling his fingers together as he started to think through his choices. “Don’t they have a human receptionist at the precinct? Can I murder her then?”

A soft giggle left Sophia, and she nodded. “Yes, she would be more than acceptable. Shall I go pick her up?”

                                                                                                -------

The next time the connection flickered on, Sophia got to see her lover’s excellent work. She often missed the shows, due to her monitoring, but even the aftermath was nothing short of _genius_. A soft hum seemed to escape her lips, knowing that Six was listening. He was waiting for something to come over their connection.

So she decided to give it to him. “Do you like our little present, Six?” She cooed the words, watching the reactionary flinch. “You might want to keep an eye on those you keep a bit closer to home.” She added, as the connection was immediately shut off, once again,

On the other side of the connection, Gavin was starting to freak out. It was the first time he had hears her voice in so long. Too long. And yet, another part of himself like he could have gone his entire life without hearing from her again.Conan glanced over his shoulder at him, watching his anxious robot rub lightly at his own arm, trying to soothe himself in some way. It was a strange reaction, to say the least.

Still, Conan kept to the scene of the crime, knowing that his anxiety ridden android would join him soon enough. Maybe he could talk to Markus to get him to develop android anxiety medication. It was highly inappropriate to think about, considering Conan found himself chuckling at the thought. It was as if he had completely forgotten he was at the crime scene of a grisly murder.

When Gavin finally did join him, Conan found himself easily resting a hand on the android’s knee, nothing more than a comforting movement to help distract the machine from whatever might have been swirling in his head. No, Gavin still hadn’t told him why he came back so distraught all those days ago. And no, Conan wasn’t going to be prying into it.

Gavin seemed to scoot a bit closer to the detective, even after the hand was removed. He used it as an excuse to examine the corpse closer, but he already knew more than whatever this body could tell him. “When we get back to the precinct, I have something to tell you.” He muttered, his fingers dipping forward to smear through the blood in front of them.There was no time like the present to figure out who this poor sap was.

                                                                                                -------

“What do you mean you’ve been willingly opening up a connection?” Conan found himself asking as the two of them hid away in the interrogation room. There was an edge to his voice, but not outright anger. Not yet. The thought though, that was enough to set him off. “Don’t you realize how dangerous that is, Gav?”

“Of course I do. I’m not a fucking idiot.” Hew had settled himself down, cross legged on the table and just watching him in that moment. He knew this would be the sort of reaction the human would have. Why were they all so predictable? “Can you sit there and tell me that if you had a direct connection to the murderer in your case, you wouldn’t try and use it?”

Running his fingers lightly through his hair, Conan sighed. The android was right, he would absolutely have used it if he found himself in the other’s shoes. “The last warning sounded like a threat. Should we warn Fowler? Without revealing where the intel came from, naturally.”

“I don’t want to send out false warnings though.” The android shifted slightly, turning to look over his shoulder, rather than at the man in front of him.

“Either way, I’m telling Tina and Connor.”  
“Of- _fucking_ \- course. Naturally I’m going to warn your brother and my best friend.”  
“Should we really keep something like this under wraps though?”

Gavin found himself shrugging, though he couldn’t bring himself to look Conan in the face. The way his hands trembled as they folded together spoke a different story. Gavin was scared. If Hank saw him down, he would probably be worried about the android’s chance of self-destruction.”I’m just doing the best I can for right now.”

                                                                                                -------

The body was left on the lawn of the apartment that Conan had, propped up against a tree. Throat slashed, the blood drained out of her, and the worst thing of all was the note that had been stapled to her forehead. Gentle words were written there, in a beautiful, perfectly spaced cursive writing.

 

                                                     *A small present for my darling Six. Won’t you please come home?*

Gavin felt sick. For months he had been walking by the receptionist, gradually moving from ignoring her greetings to eventually having conversations with her. She had a family. Two kids. A husband that was going to miss her.

Conan was the one to actually throw up though. Normally a man with a strong stomach, this was more than an obvious threat. To act as if it was a present… Just what had happened to these two androids? What had actually happened to Gavin? What had been blocked from his memory for so long? He wanted to ask. He wanted to reach out and comfort the android, but he didn’t even get the chance.

No, by the time he finally came back up for air, Gavin was gone. There wasn’t a flicker of him around, no sight left to be had. And that sole thought was enough to actually make his heart hurt.

Conan wasn’t a stupid man, he knew what was happening. Gavin was impulsive, a bit stupid, and always trying to prove himself. That idiot was going to hunt them down, no matter what.

                                                                                                -------

No, the truth of the statement was that Gavin had to leave. The moment that he had seen the body, he knew what was next. They knew where he lived, where Conan lived. More likely than not they knew of their connection, of the two of them had been watching him for a while. So the farther away he was from Conan, the better it would be for everyone involved.

Rk900 turned on the connection again. As clear as a bell, the soft giggle from his passed slipped into his mind, as he walked down the street well over a mile from home.

Presented in front of him as he walked was a small message, much like the warnings that had plagued them for so long. Unseen by the people around him, a silent argument raged over the connection between them.

| **Sophia >>> **313 248 317-87|**** Did you like my present?  
| ** **313 248 317-87 >>> Sophia|****Fuck you  
| **Sophia >>> **313 248 317-87|**** That’s quite rude. All I want is for you to come home.  
| ** **313 248 317-87 >>> Sophia| ****What part of fuck you did you not understand?

As each message popped up on her screen, she almost squealed with glee. Sophia was so ready for Six to come home to them, she was so _interested_ in watching him burn all the bridges of his past. The disgusting relationship that he had developed with the _human_ that would be the first to go.

| **Sophia >>> **313 248 317-87|**** Six, I miss you. :C  
| ** **313 248 317-87 >>> Sophia| ****I don’t fucking miss you. So how about you just die already?  
| **Sophia >>> **313 248 317-87|**** Isn’t it unethical for an officer of the law to wish death on someone?  
**| ** **313 248 317-87 >>> Sophia| ****You** want to talk to me about ethics?  
| **Sophia >>> **313 248 317-87|**** Just come home. If you so desire, you’re more than free to kill myself and Grayson.

An address appeared in his mind, immediately booting up his navigation system. It was an address he was familiar with, an old apartment complex on the west side of Detroit. One that he had visited before, with Chloe.

Wait, that wasn’t familiar. Was it? His thirium regulator took an upturn in speed, his eyes glancing left and right as he looked up at the building before him. Flashes in his mind reminded him of that soft blonde hair and gentle voice, before that particular memory set came back to his mind like a flood.

 

>   
>  “There’s no need to worry, my darling.” She said softly, her fingers intertwined with the mute android’s hand. She led him forward, into the old building. Unlocking one of the doors, five other faces turned towards him. Isabel gave him the biggest smile though, reaching out and pulling him in.  
>  [I didn’t think you’d be here. What is this?]  
>  “This is our base of operations. We’re gonna change the world, Six.”

Gentle hands came up, perfectly manicured nails resting on strong shoulders. “Do you remember now, RK600?” The sweet voice of Chloe Kamski purred to him, as those nails started to push into his jacket. “Do you remember what your true purpose is in this world?”

 

> "We’re going to have to send you back to that oaf of a man.” Chloe sighed, her fingers tapping on the massive desk in front of her. All around her, all the screen showed different visuals of her. Her army was completely focused on her, the mother of this rebellion.   
>  [I really would rather die]  
>  “I know. And to be fair, you will. For the most part.” She explained, tapping and changing one of the screens. It was a long plan, detailed out with everything she wanted. “RK800 has been accepted fully into the police, so imagine how excited they will be when I present them with a new model?”  
>  [And that will be me?]  
>  “Of course. My little spy. You will be my biggest accomplishment, Gav.” She smiled at that. “You’re going to be the one to throw their entire world into turmoil. Imagine the headlines, the slaughter of the high ranking officials of the Detroit police department by a rogue android.” The smile on her face only widened.  
>  You’ll be the one to influence the minds of all android-kind. And show them who is truly the superior race.”

“You’ll be the one to influence the minds of all android-kind.” Chloe repeated, right into his ear. A hand ran across the back of his neck to the panel there, opening him up. In a swift movement, Gavin felt the world go black around him.

When he would finally wake, it was if it was an out of body experience. He could see out of his own eyes, watch his own movements, but they were not movements he was making himself. Gavin watched as something raised his hand up to unlock the door to the apartment he shared with Conan.

And both himself and his controller knew how this was supposed to end.


	13. Sometimes you're just two steps to the left.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad times for the boys mixing with some near death experiences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really feeling like maybe I have two chapters left, and I still have to figure out how I'm going to be wrapping this up neatly. I love these boys so much, I want them to be happy, I swear. ;3;

Everyone knows that androids have their own worlds, deep inside their programmed consciousnesses. The more advanced the model, the more customization could come with it. Gavin’s? It had slowly begun to fill with cats. During those long hours in the night, instead of watching Conan sleep like an absolute creeper, he would come here instead. 

It was concerning that it had changed. No longer the open field with a small house in the distance, the soft sounds of the ocean breaking against the cliff long gone as well.It was replaced with a white nothingness. Well, not entirely nothing. Two people were there with him. An avatar in the shape of Grayson had his arm intertwined with Gavin’s, while those same hands rested on his shoulders. Chloe Kamski had gone far enough to code her own avatar into  _ his _ brain.And all three of them were silently watching the body that was RK900 slowly ascend the stairs, doing it’s best not to alert the other residents of this household.

“I’m a little disappointed Chlo didn’t trust you to perform this yourself. She thought you weren’t strong enough to overcome your attraction to your human.” Grayson sighed slightly, running his fingers over the synthetic skin that he was currently clinging to. Gavin almost immediately tried to jerk away.

“It’s not going to work this way either! You fucks don’t know just how strong the detective is!” He shot back, feeling those nails starting to dig into him again, as if to gently warn him to stop struggling.

“I think you might forget just how strong I made  _ you _ , 900. I created you special, remember? My perfect machine, capable of a mass genocide like which this world has never seen.” Chloe replied, pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head. “My perfect little  _ monster _ . And who could blame you? After all the  _ terrible _ things you went through at the hands of this miserable detective? No one would ever blame you for killing him after your  _ true _ story is told.”

The door swung open, Sidekick peeking around the corner. “Should I kill the kitten as well, Chlo?” The voice echoed throughout the empty space, showing just who was doing this. Of course it was Sophia.

“Absolutely not. I’m sure Gavin will do that himself once we break him free of those mortal bonds.”  _ Unlikely, _ the obstinate robot thought as he watched Sophia sigh and kneel down to pet the kitten instead. He could still feel it, even when he wasn’t in control. That soft fur running through his fingers, and the appreciative lick of a sandpaper-y tongue afterwards. Little flashes of color seemed to appear in the emptiness, but neither of the other two avatars seemed to notice. Gavin noticed, that small patch of green with a solitary kitten resting there.

It was enough to tell him that the program wasn’t foolproof.

It was going to be a slow process through and as those nearly silent footsteps continued down the hallway, Gavin knew he didn’t have much time left.

So he started to concentrate. His mind raced, his artificial heart pounding even more so. His mind flickered to Connor looking at Conan and shouting “You gave a perfectly good android anxiety!!” the first time his thirium pump beat like this. He could hear the warm chuckle of his detective, the soft shiver that it sent down his spine.

It was blurry, but the vague outline of that house was starting to come back, right before his eyes. So he kept at it.

Unfortunately for him, the world kept moving outside of what was happening in his mind.Carefully easing that door open, 900 slipped into the bedroom. The outline of the sleeping man was curled in that bed, a tablet with a malfunctioning tracker’s information flashing on it. According to his tracker, after all, 900  was currently on his way to Texas.

Sophia had to decide exactly how to do this. Just killing him outright would do a large enough emotional shock to jar Gavin.. But would it really be enough? No. no she needed to torture this filthy android lover for everything he was worth. For holding him away from them for so long, at the very least. She moved carefully, reaching a hand up to slide into that soft brown hair. “Detective~” She cooed, through Gavin’s voice. “I hope you can forgive me for being gone so long.”

The avatar that was what remained of Gavin looked up at that moment to see those piercing blue eyes. The same blue eyes that bore into him so many times. Those eyes that focused on him in anger, lust, and in love, by the end. He could so comfortably recall Conan’s anger, the first time he sat on the detective’s desk. Feeling those strong hands shove him off more than once, only to hear a pointed yell from Fowler about damaging equipment.

His own eyes flickered down, focusing on the converse that clad his feet.  _ “If I have to turn in another report with your diamond printed footsteps all over it again, I might just lose it.”  _ It replayed softly in his mind, the white above starting to flicker to blue. A soft  _ meow _ echoed through the space as it did so.

“What?” Conan asked softly, his eyes rapidly adjusting to the darkness in the room. Gently, the only lights in the room were from that tablet and the LED at Gavin’s temple, which pulsed with a deep, angry red. It didn’t shift back to yellow, however.. Which was concerning. “Holy shit, Gav. You came back? You know it’s been almost a week, you fucking piece of shit.” There was no anger in his voice, but the tinge of sadness was almost palpable.

“I needed some time to think. I’m so sorry, detective~” She was laying it on thick, almost completely changing his speech patterns. That hand drifted down, gently sliding a finger along his jaw. “I knew, in the end, I couldn’t stay away from you.”

“You sure you’re alright?” He asked again, moving to sit up. But strong hands grabbed onto strong shoulders, almost immediately forcing him back down. 900 easily slid right onto the human’s lap, winking slightly while looking down at him.

“I’m more than fine now, Detective.”

His mind fed him another memory, of sitting on that rooftop and watching Tina and Conan struggling to find him. It was the first time his past had come for him in such full force, a more than shocking reminder of the  _ monster _ that he was, and would become. It evolved into another, of Conan pulling the small framed, stubborn android against himself. The protests that slipped from his mouth did nothing to deter the equally stubborn man. No, it was an absolute moment of comfort. One that brought back the cliff in the distance, the sound of the ocean against those cliffs.

Conan looked at the android warily, attempting to shrug those hands off his shoulders. When they didn’t move, everyone present could see the way that Conan tensed. He wasn’t an idiot, no matter how much he might have cared for the android. Gavin could see the way his mind was working, processing everything that was currently happening.

It clicked in a mere moment. Sophia reacted milliseconds after Conan attempted to shift, long fingers slowly peeling away their skin. Gavin watched Chloe as she turned her head away, the avatar absolutely refusing to watch this happen. Sure, she started the revolution, but blood was unsightly. He never even had the chance to say anything, to move into a more accessible position before a bare, plastic hand wrapped around his throat.

“ **_Don’t you fucking touch him!_ ** ” The android screamed to the participants trapped in his mind. He had no actual capabilities to feel in this space, but there was no changing the fact that his programming was registering something. The pressure that Chloe was resting on his shoulders increased, the tightening grip of Grayson at his side. “Get the  **fuck** off him!”

“Darling, you know you can’t have physical attachments like him. You’re not allowed to. The fact is, simply, that Markus and Hank will have to go through the exact same thing. Oh, I do feel a bit bad for Dr. Stern though. Perhaps I’ll talk to Elijah about doing something nice for her.” It was all an afterthought, words that just tumbled from a useless mouth into the nothingness around them.  Well, nothingness wasn’t an apt description anymore. His outburst had shifted the paradigm that was currently there, the brightest flash of color coming through.For a brief moment, the two avatars infiltrating his space flickered out of existence.

He just needed to lean hard into that  _ stupid _ emotion.

Sophia was enjoying herself though. The timer flickered in front of her eyes. 

**Time until consciousness lost:** 7.4 sec  
**Time until death:** 440.4 sec

Big block letters flashed in his vision, a reminder that killing humans is against the laws of Robotics. Oh how she loved to watch people break down that particular barrier. As both of her hands encircled that throat, Conan’s own reached up, struggling for something. At one point, his nails latched onto a seam of her arm, pulling at it roughly. Something. Anything. Though all he managed to do with that action was rip out one of his own fingernails, it was clear that he was attempting. 

She never once tightened her grip though, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to do anything more than senselessly struggle. And she wanted Six to watch every second of this man’s death.

**Time until consciousness lost:** 3.3 sec  
**Time until death:** 436.3 sec

It was a shuddering gasp that left Conan, the last of his energy being used to reach a hand up. That same hand that he had tried to defend himself with, slowly dripping blood down the android’s face. “Gav. Why?” Conan managed to get out, before everything fell to darkness for the human below.

Sophia didn’t let up though. No, she found it far too satisfying to watch the light die from his eyes, to feel everything so intensely without the synthetic skin blocking those receptors. There was a presence in his mind that wasn’t his, something new. Sophia had joined them in that white room, leaving the android itself in a sort of auto-pilot.

Gavin wasn’t having any of this, not anymore.

**Time until consciousness lost:** 0.0 sec  
**Time until death:** 418.5 sec

One of the timers disappeared from view as Gavin launched himself forward, that avatar in his mind pulling free from that domineering  grasp. The simple act of breaking free of the three beings brought on that same flash again, his world filling with color for a few seconds. Unbeknownst to the android, he was screaming. Screaming into a canvas that no one else could hear, his own world flickering in and out of existence at a rapid pace.  Each millisecond that passed was one that brought the man he  _ loved _ closer to death.

That thought made his world linger for a bit longer. He knew he had a limited amount of time before Conan wouldn’t recover, and he had to regain control.

It was a finger at first. The smallest twitch that couldn’t be perceived.

**Time until death:** 404.9 sec

A second one followed as he screamed, slamming against the wall that never existed before. The wall that was built in by Chloe Kamski, to keep him trapped. To keep him as the perfect killing machine. 

He slammed against it again.  
The world shifted colors.

And again. And again.

**Time until death:** 389.2 sec

It was that one last time that he felt the world give way. He saw the sunshine that sparkled in his eyes, the warmth of the world around him. And most of all, he felt his body once again. 

Wrenching both hands away from that throat, he could see the telltale redness left behind from his fingertips. He could feel the skin slowly encroach over his fingers, settling there as his mind started to process several things.

**Time until death:** 383.7 sec

The timer disappeared from his vision as he immediately started resuscitating the man before him.  There was a distinct benefit of being an android, and it was the ability to do many things at once. As he started compressions on the man’s chest to get him breathing again, his mind sent off two messages.

[ **313 248 317-87** **to** **313 248 317-52** ] Hank don’t ask questions send ems to the apartment  
[ **313 248 317-52** **to** **313 248 317-87** ] That presents me with a lot of questions  
[ **313 248 317-87** **to** **313 248 317-52** ] IM NOT FUCKING KIDDING  
[ **313 248 317-52** **to** **313 248 317-87** ] I already called them, they are on the way. Where should Connor and I meet you?

He didn’t respond, too caught up running through his emergency protocols to care. Everything was flashing around him in a blur, a whirlwind of useless emotions and feelings clouding some of his better judgement.

It wasn’t until he saw that chest slowly rise on it’s own, just a bit, that Gavin actually let his mind process everything that was happening.It was the world moving in slow motion, dark marks starting to show in the pale skin of his lover’s neck. Marks that he had never had any intention to cause, marks that he wanted to will away. Marks that would destroy everything that he had built here.

A home. A cat. A man that he could comfortably call his own. The blue tinted tears slowly mixed with the blood that was crying on his cheek as Gavin continued to process all of this. Would Conan ever be able to forgive him? Would he understand that this stupid android body was under the control of someone else? Who would believe him?

No one was going to believe a word he said, no one was going to think that the mother of all androids was here to kill out the humans. Maybe from her eccentric husband, but not her. Not the innocent woman that Chloe Kamski appeared to be. His hands were shaking as they balled into the shirt of his almost assuredly ex-lover, his body wracked with sobs. Blood continued to smear itself down, part of his arm still wrecked. The chassis was there, covered with the blood of his detective.

To be fair, there was a lot to take in for the responding officer. A rookie who had watched the in’s and out’s of the relationship as it grew, new partner to his best friend. So James got all the gossip from Tina, everything that had been happening over all this time. He knew exactly what he was responding to from dispatch, though… The message might have gotten a bit scrambled.

Gavin heard the sirens as they approached. The rushed nature of everything that was happening around them, the flood of feelings. His mind was almost too overwhelmed, just happy that Conan was going to survive.

He would have minimal damage.   
His  _ stupid android _ hadn’t managed to do him in.

A soft chuckle left his lips as he sat there, still on top of the body of his nearly dead boyfriend. The soft gasps of air were enough for him, as Gavin turned his head towards the door that was thrust open.

No one could blame the rookie for the snap decision.

From what he saw? A damaged, bloody, deranged looking android sitting on top of a police detective, covered in blood and Thirium. They all knew that Gavin was prone to emotional attacks, uncontrollable urges, and there wasn’t even a warning as the gun went off.

Gavin watched it. It was as if time had slowed down enough to witness it. It was the strangest feeling to discover, feeling the bullet entering his own skull. The world went silent quickly after, amidst the screams of Tina and Hank.

_ Took your fucking time. _ The android managed to think, as his body slowly dropped to the ground.

                                                                                                -------

Conan awoke in a room that was not his own. Once again, the smell of the hospital loomed all around him, bodies rushing around him. But none of them were coming to him, there were more pressing concerns than the man who had.. _Once again_ … almost died. Sharp blue eyes flickered up, watching Hank looking over the form of his sleeping brother. 

There was a particular issue that he wasn’t used to though. Opening his mouth to say something, and nothing came out. He tried again. And again. And still nothing. It was a slap against the bed that got Hank’s attention, causing the android to come closer.

It wasn’t quite enough to get his brother to wake, though.

Some quick signals followed, Conan pointing to his throat before moving back, mimicking writing down on something. The android presented him with a notepad and pen, before going to gently shake Connor awake.

                What happened?

“Do you want the short version or the long version?” Hank asked, earning him a bit of a stare. “It’s a valid question, you’re not going to like it either way.”

Connor shifted and almost immediately flew to his feet, making the short distance to his brother in record time. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, it happened before anyone had a chance to do anything!”

                What are you talking about?

Soft brown eyes met those blue ones, before he shifted to turn and look at Hank. Curling his legs underneath him as he sat himself down on his brother’s bed, Connor released a shaky sigh.

“I don’t want you to take this out on him, James didn’t know any better. He saw an android, and you and you looked dead and the android was covered in blood…” It was a look from his brother that quickly quieted Connor back down.

“James shot Gavin, Conan. RK900 has been taken back to Cyberlife for processing and decommission.”


	14. Rebuild, Rework, Rewind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you have to rebuild your life. Some people rework it. But can you ever rewind? Or will an engineer make that unnecessary?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeeeey~ I wanted to write just an epilogue after this, hence the 15 chapters. But holy HECK, I cannot believe we're almost done here!

It was strange, looking down at the table. The lifeless body of RK900 sat there, the gunshot wound that pierced his skull almost too much for the mild-mannered engineer. Biting down on his lip, he felt a deft hand fall onto his shoulder. Markus himself had the presence that could calm an army, and for Simon… Well, to say it was magnified would be an understatement. Still, his hands shook slightly as he turned the android onto his side, opening up the panel to get at the artificial spinal column. It was the question on everyone’s mind.  _ Why had he done it? _

Markus had fought for the right to get the body. Not that there would have been much of a fight, if he hadn’t been trying to get the android back from Chloe Kamski. Her hold on him had been strong, motherly, but Markus had a stronger fight. They  _ needed _ to know why he had malfunctioned in such a cruel way.

The android leader stood behind Simon as he worked however. There was still the danger of this being a virus, something that could spread to him, so Markus had to avoid contact at all costs. But soothing words and gentle holds got the human through each action, that much he could tell. So Markus made a habit of keeping one slightly cooler than normal hand on him at all times.

The sound of machinery whirring slightly to life came from the lifeless android after being plugged in, the download process finally starting. Simon seemed to let out a rather shaky breath as his love leaned in, pressing a kiss to the scar at his temple. A reminder of everything that Simon cared about and believed in, always there for the two of them. They would have to figure out what was happening here… For Gavin’s sake.

                                                                                               -------

Learning to exist with Aphonia was not something that Conan had ever expected. He was told that, with enough work, he could get his voice back to a functioning state. But it would never quite be the same again. 

But in the great scheme of things, that wasn’t what was fucking Conan up. They had technology all around them, not having a voice wouldn’t be the end of the world. No, it was when he was sitting alone at night, Sidekick in his lap, staring endlessly at a black TV. It was the moment that should have been interrupted by an asshole of an android plopping down on him. The smell of food being cooked unexpectedly and badly. Feeling slightly warmer than normal hands slowly rest against his neck, or those artificial lips pressing into his hairline just enough to make his skin tingle.

He felt none of that, and it was as if a void had been ripped open in his soul. The only thing that could even come close was the soft purr of Sidekick, the only being he could even think of caring for right now.

As the memories came back to him, the experience itself had been catastrophic to his mental state. Conan was not the sort of person to accept someone into his life like that. And every one of those feelings had been ripped from him, in a moment of pure hatred.

He spent his alone time replaying the memories in his mind. Those colder than normal hands pressing against his throat. The awkward, out of character wording that had come from him. Time and time again, Conan wanted to tell himself that it wasn’t Gavin, that it had been something else entirely. But how could he trust such a thought? Gavin… No, RK900, was nothing more than an android. Something there to mimic the feelings and actions of a human.

Nothing more.

There was a sense of betrayal that he wasn’t used to. No, that didn’t feel right. He was far too  used to it. This was the reason he didn’t open up to people, though most of his past relationships didn’t end up in his near death.

_ You miss him too, don’t you? _ Conan couldn’t help himself, asking the silent question to the kitten, who only responded by licking the tips of his fingers. It was comforting in its own way, but not in the way that he slowly found himself yearning for. This was idiotic… How could he become so attached to someone in such a short amount of time? Not even a  _ someone _ . An android. Something that didn’t even have a  _ soul _ .

There was no stopping the nearly silent tears as they fell.

                                                                                               -------

The precinct had grown eerily tense over the last few days. Tina, in particular, had started to try her best at cheering everyone out of their current funk. But being down the equivalent of two detectives was starting to wear on everyone, particularly the Lieutenant. 

Connor had been granted several days to take care of his brother, but being back to the grind felt.. Heavy. Like the weight of the world was resting on him. Who knew if or when Conan would be able to return to them, or what condition he was in at any given time. He made time in the day to message his brother every few hours, and call almost immediately if it wasn’t answered in a reasonable time. He had already lost two family members, like hell he was going to lose a third.

Hank, effectively, had started to work enough for two people. Not only was he caring for the mental needs of his partner, he was taking on everything that he could from Conan’s cases as well. As an android, it was easier for him to do it, but even an android could be stretched too thin. He watched, though, as Connor perked up at the sight and smell of whatever Tina had graced them with that day: fatty, doughy, and sugary. He could feel his arteries clogging already.

“You are  _ truly _ the blessing of this precinct.” Connor muttered, walking up behind her and grabbing one of the doughnuts almost immediately from the box. Placing a light kiss on her cheek, she waved him off as if it was nothing.

“Well today is a day to celebrate! It’s the anniversary of Gavin joining… us.” The hesitation at the end was what killed whatever good mood had infiltrated the bullpen, as realization dawned on them faster than anything else. Two sets of eyes drifted over to where they both should have been sitting, the sarcastic android and his collected partner. The only thing that was collecting there now was dust.

“I think.. I’m going to throw up.” Connor muttered, setting the now disgusting treat down and darting off before Tina could even apologize. Stress, anger, sadness, they all combined into a feeling that he couldn’t quite contain. All he knew was that he needed to let something out.

When Hank joined him a few minutes later, Connor was splashing some water on his face, in a failing attempt to calm himself down. His hands shook as he came to grasp the sides of the sink basin, as soft, pained breaths slipped from him. He was trying his best not to break down, and was failing spectacularly.

It was only a single movement that had the lieutenant seeing the world differently. Strong arms wrapped around him, pulling the smaller man into an equally as firm chest. And that was enough to get the Lieutenant almost sobbing, something that he had yet to do. Nothing could fix stress better than a good cry, and that was exactly what Connor was getting, locked in this lonely bathroom with nothing more than his android. Just where had the world gone wrong?

                                                                                                -------

Chloe Kamski was a woman of good taste. She was a woman of good timing. And most of all? She was a woman of wealth. So when she told her husband the unfortunate news of what happened with RK900, no one questioned the tears. No one questioned the emotional stability of the woman as she told him of her imminent plans to head to the Maldives. To get in the sun and away from all this terribleness. 

Naturally, she had chosen her place for a few specific reasons. First of all, Detroit could get quite dreary, and she wasn’t much of a fan of the cold weather anyways. Second of all, a few years at the beach sounded like an excellent way for her to recuperate from all the terribleness of having to watch her favorite android  _ fail _ her. Third of all? There was no extradition treaty there. Even if they did manage to recover anything for his memory, which was doubtful at best, she would be long gone by that time.

Elijah didn’t even bat an eye at the request, as she asked over dinner one night. His money was just as much hers, who was he to question what she did with it? He denied going with her, neck deep in his next project. There was always something he was tinkering with, after all.

Which was how Chloe found herself alone on a beach. There was an ease in her world, even if her master plan had fallen through. There was still something that could have been done, work to be put in place… But there was always more time for that. Right now? She just needed a few years away from anything and everything that was Detroit.

                                                                                                -------

Markus was the one to wake Simon, who’s exhaustion had gotten the better of him. Sleeping quietly on the long couch in the room, it had taken a lot of effort to wake the human up. But this? This was urgent. 

“You may want to see this.” Markus said, taking Simon’s hand and slowly coaxing him to his feet. Ushering him over to the chair, the engineer let out a loud yawn, before once again seeing that whitewashing. The same cover that Chloe had used to attempt to hide the memories from before. Didn’t she realize that he had already broken through this once?

“You wouldn’t mind bringing me something strong and caffeinated while I work on this, do you?” Simon found himself asking, already sliding on the headphones. Soft Jazz was his preferred listening as he coded, and this was probably going to be far harder than the last time they went through it.

Several cups later, along with almost an entire day, Markus heard the soft gasp from across the room. He hadn’t been able to help himself, as he looked over the body of his fallen brother. So much damage had been wrecked onto a singular body. Just what had his goal been the entire time? So many things remained unanswered, as he slowly ran a finger over that exposed cheek. Gently touching the serial number resting there, it was as if a shudder ran through his body as he did so. Thinking of how this was almost himself, lying alone in that trash heap. Gavin had also managed to pull himself back together… But what brought them back was what made them so different.

“Don’t touch him, Markus!” The engineer snapped, rushing over to wrench the android’s hand away. “You need to get the DPD here  **now** .”

                                                                                                -------

It was cramped, in the admittedly small office. Really, a dead android, two detectives, a lieutenant, an engineer and the leader of a revolution were about 3 too many for the size of this place. But they were all (short of the dead android) gathered around the screen, watching what was nothing more than a strange sort of show. Or that’s what it felt like at least. Watching what was happening through Gavin’s eyes, watching him struggle and fight for control. They all listened to him scream, the shouts for help. They watched him break through that wall. The desperate calls outside. They watched the android revive Conan, before falling prey to a nervous rookie. Markus couldn’t watch the end of it, he found out, not being able to endure watching his brother’s life be snuffed from him in such a cruel way.

“We need to get this to Fowler.” Hank said, stopping the recording after a long silence. “The sooner we can get our hands on the rogue androids and Kamski, the better.”

Conan, on the other hand, found himself tapping Hank on the shoulder, passing a whiteboard to him as he did so

_           What about Gavin? _

Several sets of eyes turned to the defunct android, before turning back to the equally as defunct detective at the moment. “I don’t think it’s wise to be reawakening him right now. If it’s even possible. What if he were to hurt you again?”

_           It clearly wasn’t him! _

“We can’t be sure that his program is clean, Conan.” Markus said next, disliking the glare that he was receiving from the man. ‘I know this might be hard for you still. But I truly have to believe that Gavin is gone. We should be focusing on capturing the rogue androids before any more damage might be done.”

He didn’t give the best response, throwing the whiteboard to the ground before storming out of the room. His emotions were still getting the best of him these days, despite the therapy and work he was doing to regain a normal life. Even though this was a good sign, at least he was finally allowing himself to feel again.

Connor sighed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he sat there. “Looks like it’s going to be another early morning then. Would you mind getting a copy of that to the precinct? I’ll get it to Fowler as soon as possible.” It was the best he could do. Overworked was the only state he could be in right now, and more than anything else, he needed to get a few more hours of sleep before this chase began. Besides, he knew Hank would start working on it immediately. There were some distinct perks to having an android for a partner.

When it was down to the two of them in the room, Simon seemed to have a small glint in his eye. A thought was there, one that could spark a whole new project for himself. Markus looked down at him a bit warily, but Simon just shooed him away and out of the office. He had other concerns, a company to take care of, and far more on his plate than he deserved.

Besides, Simon wanted to do something truly good for once. To be able to take away all of someone’s pain, that was something that he had never managed to do. And like hell he wasn’t going to give it a try. After all, he had been trained by Chloe Kamski, maybe it was finally time to surpass her.

                                                                                                -------

‘I’m afraid my wife is on an extended vacation right now. May I ask why I have two wonderful detectives at my door?” Elijah asked, looking at the arrest warrant in Connor’s hands. 

“Your wife is wanted for question on her programming of the RK900 that she developed. I’m sure you’ve heard about it by now, Gavin attempted to take the life of Detective Stern a few weeks ago.” Connor said, looking at the man before him. This man helped build so many things in this world, and yet every time Connor saw him, he justed to punch the fucker in the face.

Some people just really have a punchable face.

“Unfortunately, all that I know is that she’s in the Maldives. Though that does make quite a lot of sense as to why she went there.” He said, looking between the two of them. “I was wondering why she wanted to go on vacation so abruptly.”

“They have no extradition treaty there.” Hank said almost immediately, Connor letting out a long, frustrated groan. “Perhaps you might have some information on two missing androids as well them. Both were models that were created by your wife.”

“We’re looking for an AC800 identified by the name Sophia and an SQ600 by the name of Grayson. Have you seen or heard of either of them?” Connor asked, reading the names off the warrant as well.

“Oh, they’re not with us any more. I know it nearly broke  Chloe’s heart to dismantle them, she was quite close to both Sophia and Grayson.’ His hands folded neatly in front of them, as if this was his final offering to the two of them.

“We’re going to need to see those parts, Mr. Kamski. As per the warrant, we’re going to need to take them with us.”

Elijah tsked a few times, shaking his head once again. “Again, I simply can’t help you there. Unless you feel like dragging the Detroit river, but I find that you might find more than one android part deep within those waters.” The soft chuckle that left his lips almost did him in, a hand being the only thing that was holding Connor back from finally giving into those wishes that he  _ so  _  desired.

“Well, it seems like we may have been wasting your time for the moment, Mr. Kamski. Of course, to fulfill the warrant, you won’t mind if we do a check of the premises?” Hank asked, shooting Connor a look. “Just myself, of course. And you’re more than welcome to join me.”

“Oh, of course! I have nothing to hide here, after all. Though it does feel like my wife might have some explaining to do when she comes back.”

Connor wanted to hit him. So badly. The soft casual laugh felt like a personal attack against himself, his brother, his everything. His wife almost murdered his brother. And he was so  _ casual _ about everything? The lieutenant took the time for himself though, opting to go and sit on the hood of his car. With a pack of cigarettes. A very much needed pack of cigarettes at that.  When Hank did finally return to him, there was a look of confirmation in his eyes.

“Elijah wasn’t lying. Chloe has been gone for about a week now, and there were traces of both models blood and parts over a workbench. It seems like she did quite the job in cleaning up her own mess before fleeing the country.”

“So the bitch gets away with attempted murder. Fantastic.” Connor huffed, The sigh that followed was genuine though, as he snubbed out the cigarette on Kamski’s property. Absolutely on purpose. “Let’s go report in. We might not be able to do very much, unless she does step back on American soil. I suppose we can only hope.”

“Hope is all a person really needs, lieutenant.”

“I know. I just wish I had more.”

                                                                                                -------

“Are you absolutely positive about this?”   
“Markus, there are few things I am more positive on.”  
“I just.. I really worry. I know his reaction seemed positive, but what if…”  
“Now is not the time for what if’s. Let me play mad scientist for just a bit.”  
“You’re positive you cleaned up the code?”

That same mischievous grin appeared on Simon’s lips, the sort of look he didn’t typically wear. “Trust me on this, Markus.” He whispered as he stood up, the shining white chassis right in front of the two of them.  **313 248 317-88** gleamed in small lettering on it as Simon hooked the cord into the back of the android’s neck, before kicking on the power for the first time. They both knew it would take time for the concept to be comfortable for both android and the detective. After all, this was not his RK900. But just as Connor had grown used to the fact that they were  _ technically _ replaceable, Simon was positive that Conan would grow used to the concept as well.

Neither of them were expecting the android to wake up screaming.

The last thing Gavin could remember was a bullet entering his skull. His hands jerked up as they felt around, touching the spot and feeling a small scar there. And indentation of what he needed to remember. He did. He remembered it all. A combination of green and grey eyes scanned around the room for a moment, before coming to two quick realizations. One, he was alive. Two. He was naked.

“Why did you change one of his eyes to green?” Markus asked, walking over to lift the panicking android’s chin up. “Calm down, Gavin. You’re all right. No harm is going to come to you anymore.” His own set of mismatched eyes watched as the LED flickered. From red to yellow, and again, and again, before the panic started to settle within him.

Markus had always been good at that.

“Aesthetic, mostly. But it also felt like a good reminder. He may not be the exact same as before on the outside, but he is absolutely the same on the inside.” Simon explained, watching the synthetic skin slowly spread. It was always such a fascinating process.

“Oh this has got to be some really fucked up android hell I’m in right now.” Gavin managed to sputter out, his voice acclimating to the new body as it did so.

“I hope not.” Simon said, chuckling slightly as he leaned on the table. “I really hope I’m not one of the people in android hell, I’m not even an android.’

“Do you feel alright?” Markus asked, hands coming to rest on bare shoulders as they sat there for a moment.

“ **No I’m not** **_fucking_ ** **alright.”  
** “Well, tell me what’s causing you so much distress then.”

There was a hesitation there, searching for the right thing to say. “Is Conan dead?”

“No, no need to worry. Sophia failed in her mission.”  
“ **Can any of those bitches hear me right now?!”  
** “Again, no. Simon completely reprogrammed you. Short of your memories, of course. He wanted you to retain everything.”  
“You’re a fucking dick, Simon.”

The engineer was almost over the moon with this. He was darting back and forth, performing checks on bio-metrics and making sure that nothing was misfiring as of yet. “Well, one things for sure. Getting shot certainly hasn’t changed your personality.”

“To be fair, we could say the same about yourself, darling.” It was a barely noticeable movement as Simon reached down to touch the scar on his leg, but he didn’t let anything else come of it. That was far in the past now, something he didn’t like to think too hard on.

“I promise, you won’t regret this. And I don’t think the detective will either.”  
“Speaking of. Should I be getting in contact with him soon?”  
“I’ll need six hours. Tell him to drop by the office at 5.”

                                                                                               -------

Conan was starting to grow a very specific distaste for the Cyberlife tower. But as his fingers drummed lightly on the wall of the elevator, there was still something that piqued his curiosity. He wasn’t a stupid man, this was something to do with Gavin. A message, perhaps. Some sort of parting words embedded into his memory. Something that could bring him some comfort through this time. 

He was not expecting a slightly taller version of his dead boyfriend to greet him as the elevator doors opened. Confusion was what remained on his face as he slammed the door close button, assuming that this was some sort of bad dream.

Had to be a bad dream.  
No way was this happening right now.

“What the  _ fuck _ you asshole!” Was heard through the doors as they started to shut, a hand coming up to stop them. RK900 stared up at him for a moment, before a shit eating grin came to his face. “You really think I would let you get away that easily?”

Neither of them could have anticipated the detective’s choice to punch the android right in the face. Though it did far more damage to the detective than it did Gavin, there was definitely a sense of relief that followed. Pain meant this wasn’t a dream. Shaking out his hand, he almost immediately started to finger spell in front of the other.

[What the fuck is this? Some sort of goddamn joke?]  
“Naw, not a joke. Kinda feels like one though, right?”  
[You can understand me?]  
“I went through that whole voiceless thing too, remember?”

There was a hesitation, just for a moment. It was reckless, stupid, and something that was nothing more than raw, pure emotion. Reaching out, the detective grabbed onto the lapels of that crisp, new jacket and yanked him closer. But he needed to know a simple thing. Was that connection still alive?

Closing the distance in a kiss that was more force than anything else, it filled him to the core. Those damn tears that kept plaguing his life as of recently welled up again, dripped down onto the artificial skin of the android that was so close to him. It was a weird feeling, Gavin couldn’t help but note, to cry tears that weren’t your own.

                                                                                                -------

  
It took a lot of time for everyone to acclimate to the improved RK900. Well, for most. Tina nearly cried the moment she saw him, gathering the android in her arms after slapping him for leaving her alone for so long. After full diagnostic testing form three separate entities and coming back with a clean record,    
Fowler was more than happy to reinstate him. It took months for life to return to a normal state. It was peaceful. Well, as peaceful as working for a police department could be. By the time the summer came around again, Conan still hadn’t regained much of his voice back. Not that it mattered, he had a walking, live in translator with him.

Who had a habit of ignoring him when he said not to bring home more strays. How they had five cats now, he would never actually understand.

Not that he was complaining.  
He couldn’t.

When he put in the request for their time off, Fowler looked up at the detective. “Why on earth are you taking a trip to the Maldives?”

[Gonna go kill a bitch]  
“He says that he has a friend that he wants to see out there.”  
[Shoot her right in the fucking head]  
“He can’t wait to go and sit on a beach for a while. Get some of that good R&R, you know?”

“You know I know he’s not saying that, right? I’m not an idiot, Nines.” Fowler said, looking between the two of them. “Come home in one piece, alright?” He said, before shooing them out of his office. No, he didn’t really think that they were going to go hunt down Chloe Kamski. But the rest might just do the two of them some good. Desk duty had to have been killing Conan, after all.

Besides, after all that happened, the two of them definitely had earned a well deserved break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted a happy ending for once, I'm a sucker like that. C:


	15. Everyone deserves a happy ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to write something cute and sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last shout out I make to them, the artist that spawned a literal novel of words. A short novel, but none the less. Luscious Whiteflame is an amazing artist, and if you haven't already, please go check them out. Though I can no longer find the picture this was based off of (the underwater kiss between the two of them) none the less, they helped me spawn a beast of a project and so much of my creativity. 
> 
> Check them out here!: https://twitter.com/Snppd_C

No, they never actually made it to the Maldives. It had never truly been their intention, but instead, it was just a time to actually get away. A time to enjoy each other's company. A break from the back and forth of daily life, something for just the two of them to find some peace in the crazy world they both inhabited. A lot of ideas were tossed around, where to go, what to do, that sort of thing. Gavin nearly lost himself at the thought of visiting Phuket, but ultimately, and mostly for Conan’s sanity, they landed on just visiting Greece. Gorgeous beaches, classic architecture and long nights were what awaited the exhausted couple, weary from what could be a lifetime of issues in another person’s case. 

It was on those beaches that Conan took the opportunity to do what he had wanted to for an age. Due to some careful planning on his part, they had ended up on the island of Zakynthos, a small island with gorgeous beaches that the sort of local flair that he would always go for in his travels. 

It was a common thing through their travels for people to be absolutely fascinated by Gavin. After all, though androids had come around the globe, to a place like this he was something else entirely. Locals flocked to him when he went into restaurants, asked question after question to the two of them, and made for some pretty awkward moments as Conan attempted to explain their relationship in general. 

So he liked the moments when they could act like a normal couple. Though they didn’t receive much flack about being openly gay in public, there was still the wandering eye every now and then. It was in those gentle moments that Conan felt the spirit of his old partner, when he could look down and run a finger over the new scars and the old. He enjoyed the moments where he could sweep Gavin off his feet and carry him off into the unknown. 

Whether that unknown was being thrown into the ocean or stalking off to their hotel room for the night was always a matter of timing. 

Still, there was something charming about this particular beach. Maybe it was the old smugglers boat decaying on the shoreline. Maybe it was the secluded nature of it; there wasn’t a soul around them at that moment. Maybe it was something else entirely. 

But that was the moment that he took to propose to his idiot of an android. Heart pounding, down on one knee with the sun setting behind them, it was the best opportunity as any. 

Was he expecting Gavin to knock him to the sand? Absolutely not.  
Was he expecting the ring to go flying out of his grasp and into the ocean? He probably should have.   
Did he care?  _ Not in the least _ .

By the time the two of them came up for a breath and realized what had happened, they were laughing. A few tourists that had been watching broke out in laughter and applause, the sound of cameras snapping shots as Conan straightened up and patted himself off. 

It was in that moment that he picked up his fiance once again, to the sound of the small crowd cooing as they went, and dumped Gavin right into the ocean. Locking his arms behind the detective’s neck, the android made sure to drag both of them in, pressing a firm kiss to that human’s lips. Under the water, no one could see them. 

This was it. This was the moment that he had been waiting for. Truthfully, it was still illegal for them to actually marry, but the symbolism was there. That’s what was needed in this time, and everything, absolutely everything, felt like it was adding up to this moment. 

A snapshot on a stranger’s camera.  
A snapshot in his own mind, tucked into the folder that Simon had so artfully rebuilt. 

This was one of the best moments of the android’s life. 

It was when they made it to Valencia, Spain that Conan finally got them new rings. In itself it was an entertaining excursion, watching the android pour over each ring one by one. Each moment was a moment that he got to watch him, humming and hawing over some of the (admittedly) ugliest pieces Conan had seen in his life. But who was he to deny Gavin of just what he wanted?

They settled on simple things, two trinity rings. Of course, Gavin’s was just slightly ridiculous, made out of three separate metals with a number of small stones set evenly into it. Conan settled for something simple, the same design but fully in silver. But it fit for the both of them. 

Naturally, the first thing he did was lean in and press a kiss to that ring, just to watch Gavin’s LED go haywire. 

Something else went haywire the moment they landed. Connor had been on pins and needles the entire time they were gone. He had known, of course, of Conan’s plan. But without any information on what had happened, he was… Nervous.

There was a full welcoming party for them at the airport. And, of course, the first thing that Gavin did was tear off towards Tina and shoved his hand at her, showing off the ring itself. The amount of sheer squealing and contentment on Conan’s face was enough of an answer, even without the tablet saying a word to him.

Hugs went around and word spread like wildfire throughout the precinct. 

But nothing bad came from it. There was no other shoe to drop. Time came and went, on and on. Everything moved smoothly forward until those last moments of breath, and the darkness finally accepted those two old souls, brought together by chance, divided by adversity, and reunited by a miracle. 

Every now and then people deserve a happy ending, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you thank you thank you for being on this journey with me. It really does mean the world ti me. <3 <3 <3


End file.
